Shanks' Daughter and the Straw Hat
by Sakra Fujimoto
Summary: Luffy and his friend from back when he was with Shanks start an adventure. Will all go well for the young duo of new pirates? Well, what about her tendencies to be a complete klutz? Or the fact that she also has devil fruit powers? Follow Luffy and Takara on their journey through the Grand Line. Follows story line of anime series. *Revising*
1. Meet Takara

**Hey everyone!**

**I decided to write a One Piece story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, or any of it's characters.**

**I hope you like it.**

**Story begins at the first episode of One Piece.**

**I hope you like the pilot...**

* * *

I was getting very claustrophobic in this barrel. It was so hard to move around and tell which direction was up. It wasn't long before I felt the barrel begin to be pulled up out of the sea. The barrel was then rolled onto the deck of what must have been a ship. I heard muffled voices as I situated myself. I started to push on one end of the barrel, but it wouldn't budge. Why wouldn't it open? After trying a few more times I gave up and waited. Then my barrel was dropped on it's side and I hit my head on the bottom of the barrel.

"Ow." I rubbed at the bump forming on my head. "I hope Luffy got picked up by this ship as well." I shifted into a different position. As I did so I began to hear screams and cannon fire. What was going on out there? If only I could get out of this damn barrel! I felt the barrel begin to roll.

"No, no, no." Soon I was bumping into every side of the barrel as it bumped down a set of stairs. My barrel then continued rolling until it hit some kind of door. I heard the door clack again as another barrel must have hit the door as well. It must have been Luffy's barrel. I finally hit a wall and came to a stop. Then Luffy's barrel ran into mine, making me hit my head again.

"Damn this stupid barrel!" I then started kicking one end of the barrel, still trying to get out. I then heard Luffy's barrel begin to roll away.

"Please don't roll again." I pleaded. Luckily I didn't move, but that meant that someone was taking Luffy's barrel.

"You can't! Lady Alvida will kill us if she ever found out." Came the voice of a little boy.

"She won't if you keep your trap shut, right boy?" Came another voice. What were they talking about? It must have something to do with Luffy's barrel.

"Yeah, right." The boy replied, I heard him laugh nervously. I needed out of this barrel, but I can't get caught.

"Come on Takara come up with a plan." I whispered to myself. The people outside in the room sounded big, and they sounded like pirates. They continued talking about Luffy's barrel.

"Hold on boys, I'll open her the old fashion way." Came another voice. If he did that he would find Luffy, and that means trouble. I had to get out of here. I started to kick the end of the barrel again, it still didn't budge.

"YEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! IIII SLEEEPPTT SOOOOOO GREAT!" I heard Luffy yell, I also heard the sound of something hitting the floor. Hard. I ignored him for now as I continued to kick the end of the barrel. After a minute of failure I gave up again.

"LUFFY!" I yelled, hoping he would hear me. Within seconds my barrel was placed right side up and Luffy had pulled off the top.

"You couldn't get that open yourself?" He asked.

"This coming from the guy who fell asleep?" I questioned. I stood up and stepped out of the barrel. I was wearing a pale purple shirt with an aqua ribbon attached. I also had blue jean shorts on as well. My red hair hung down to my shoulders.

"I'm hungry." Luffy told me before spinning around and walking towards a pair of doors. A boy grabbed his arm and pulled against him. The boy had pink hair and wore a blue and white shirt. He slowly failed at stopping Luffy. Luffy entered the room followed by me and the boy, the boy getting his head stuck in the door.

"AHAHAHA! It's a gold mine! Food, food, food, food, food!" Luffy laughed.

"Who knows, maybe we'll be safe in here as long as no one else gets hungry." The boy said. Luffy continued to drool over the food.

"This box looks promising. Apples, Excellent! Ha, tasty." Luffy continued. I walked over and took an apple from the crate Luffy had opened, I took a seat on the ground and started to eat it.

"Uh, hey! My names Coby. Your Luffy, is that right? That was pretty neat when you jumped out of that barrel back there." The boy said.

"These are awesome." Luffy said as he stuffed his face full of apples from the crate. I quickly grabbed a second one before he decided to eat them all.

"Nice to meet ya Coby. I'm Takara." I greeted the boy as he took as seat behind Luffy. He looked over at me.

"So are we on a pirate ship or what?" We both snapped our heads towards Luffy.

"No, it's a passenger ship that's being raided by pirates. Pirates under the command of Lady Alvida." Coby answered. I sat back and began munching on my apple.

"Oh, who cares anyway. What I want to know is if there are any boats on board." Luffy said, still stuffing his face.

"I think there are a few." Coby told us, but he didn't seem sure.

"Great, cause mine got sucked into a whirlpool." Luffy announced.

"Oh, yeah. That is totally your fault by the way." I commented.

"The one outside? No way! No one could have survived that." Coby declared.

"Yeah, I gotta say it was a big surprise." Luffy turned and looked at Coby, a huge grin planted on his face as he laughed. I groaned and walked out of the room. If there were boats on deck I was going to get one ready for our departure.

I headed out of the kitchen and down a hallway towards what looked like the deck. I quietly crept up a flight of stairs and looked out onto the deck. A really fat lady stood in the center of the deck as her men wandered by carrying supplies from the ship. I quickly snuck away and to the side of the top deck. That's where I located some ropes and walked over to them. I quietly reached up and grabbed one before using it to get to the connected pirate ship. I looked up from time to time to make sure I wasn't being watched. Once I had gotten to the pirate ship there was a giant crash and I looked over to see a giant hole in the passenger ship's deck over what must have been the storage room I was in earlier. That and the fat lady who was on deck was now gone.

"Luffy, what did you do?" I said out loud. Luffy a few seconds later jumped out of the hole with Coby in hand, he looked up and around. I heard him laugh a bit. It wasn't long before the pirates who had been around the hole had started to attack him. Pirates appeared from all over the ship, just to attack Luffy. He looked like he could handle himself so I snuck away to examine the pirate ship.

"We could just take this ship… If we're fast enough." I mumbled. I glanced over at the other ship to find Luffy still fighting. At least this ship would be big enough for a crew.

"I'm a rubber man." Luffy said as he pulled out his cheek, to prove his rubberiness. Coby looked at him, completely shocked. Then the fat lady showed up, I couldn't quite hear what they were saying. Suddenly a group of men went out onto the main deck and I quickly moved out of sight. Everyone was paying attention to the fat lady and Luffy. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a girl on the pirate ship carrying a giant bag on the deck below me. I carefully jumped down onto the deck she was on and ran after her. As I looked around she was just gone. I glanced around a couple more time before I heard a splash off the side of the ship. I ran over to the rail. Down in the water below was a ship with the girl in it. Out of nowhere three cannonballs were fired, landing in the water around our ships. The boat shook and I found myself falling down onto her boat.

"Hey!" The girl whisper shouted as her boat suddenly rocked. I groaned as I pushed myself, having landed on one of her bags. "Who are you?" The girl questioned angrily.

"I was about to ask you the same question." I whispered as I sat up.

A few more cannons were fired as we glared at each other. There was a loud crack and we both looked up to see another ship coming straight down towards us. It landed and caused our boat to nearly tip. We both screamed and looked over at the people in the other boat. Luffy and Coby held onto the edges of the other boat. Luffy looked at both of us with a giant smile on his face.

Another cannon was shot, the ball landing in between our two boats. The action caused us go our separate ways by the time the water had settled. I quietly helped the girl as we set out to sea. Once we were gone, and all other ships out of sight, we settled. Or at least I settled down at the front of the ship as Nami moved around her bags.

"You knew that guy didn't you?" The girl asked as she took a seat on the opposite side of the boat. She had her arms crossed and she was glaring at me. She had orange hair and wore a blue shirt, with black pants, and a red belt.

"Maybe, but now he's gone." I said looking down.

"If I'm lucky we'll find him and we can go our separate ways." The girl declared.

"Looks like you're stuck with me until then." I replied.

"In that case, my name's Nami." She told me.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Takara." I said as I nodded to her. It was silent for a moment before Nami piped up again.

"Why did you even jump on my boat?" Nami questioned.

"I didn't, I fell." I answered before laying back so I could look at the clouds.

"From the pirate ship or the passenger ship?" Nami continued.

"Pirate, but I wasn't with them." I assured as she looked over.

"Well you don't look like one of the passengers, so who are you?" Nami told me.

"I'm a pirate." I stated.

"Got any money on you?" Nami asked

"Nope." I said, shaking my head.

"Bummer." Nami said, a smile forming on her lips.

"I take it you like money?" I questioned, motioning towards her bags as I looked over at her.

"Maybe." Nami shrugged. I noticed that she seemed to be mimicking what I had said earlier about Luffy.

"So, it's gonna be like that?" I smirked.

"At least for now." Nami smiled, hiding a laugh.

"Sounds good to me." I stated as I looked back up.

"How do you protect yourself?" Nami asked, catching me off guard.

"What?" I replied.

"You're a pirate. So how do you protect yourself?" Nami corrected.

"Oh… Well, I have devil fruit powers, just like my captain. I ate the bone-bone fruit." I answered, sitting back up and moving to lean against the front of the ship.

"What's the bone-bone fruit make you do?" She asked.

"I can change how heavy my bones are, and change the shape of any bone in my lower arms, hands, feet, and teeth." I explained.

"Prove it." She commanded. I simply smiled a big toothy grin at her before changing my teeth into points, like shark teeth.

"That good enough?" I asked after changing my teeth back.

"Yup, now I need to change course. Hold on." She then turned the sail around and I almost fell out of the boat.

It was going to be hard dealing with her until we find Luffy.

* * *

**Tell me how I did.**

**REVIEW!**

**Hope you liked it.**

**Pm me if you have any questions.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	2. Zoro

Nami had left at least an hour ago to go deal with things at this port. We made a deal that as long as I was on the boat when she left, then she would continue traveling with me. Although, waiting in a boat was no fun especially when you were on an island with a Marine base on it.

"This is so boring!" I groaned. I would play in the water like I did when I was younger, but a flaw in that now is my devil fruit power. I looked up at the sky for a moment, then over at the island we were at.

"I'm gonna go wander." I told myself. I climbed up and out of the boat before running for the Marine base, it was the biggest thing on the island. I ran past a whole bunch of markets and as I ran I could have sworn I heard Luffy's voice from inside a restaurant. I didn't pay any mind to it and kept running until I got to the door to the Marine base. Connected to the building was a tall concrete wall. As I looked around there wasn't a single person in sight which seemed strange. I ran along the wall until it got to a low point. I then climbed up and sat on the top of it with my legs hanging over it.

"Wow." Behind the wall was a giant courtyard and in the center of it was a man tied to a post. I jumped down into the courtyard and walked over to the man.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Nothing that concerns you." He retorted.

"So, what's your name?" I continued talking to him.

"I'm Zoro." The man replied

"Cool name." I awed.

"Would you go away." Zoro suddenly declared.

"That's kind of rude y'know." I stated.

"Just leave me alone. I've had enough with people today." Zoro announced. I stood there a moment before continuing my questions.

"Why are you in here?" I questioned.

"None of your business." Zoro replied.

"Well, are you a pirate?" I continued.

"Not a chance. I'm a bounty hunter." Zoro said, adding more information for once.

"That's actually pretty cool." I told him, smiling. "What kind of weapons do you use?"

"Three swords." Zoro answered.

"Three swords? Like at the same time?" I asked, trying to clarify.

"Yeah." Zoro stated

"Luffy would get a kick out of meeting you." I said remembering Luffy. "Of course, he'd also find a way to get you outta here."

"Does Luffy have black hair and a straw hat?" Zoro questioned this time.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" I wondered.

"I saw him earlier." I felt my face light up at the statement.

"That means he's here on the island! Do you mind if I wait here for him?" I requested.

"What makes you think he'll show up here?" I walked around to the back of the pole and climbed up onto it. I sat at the top of the pole above Zoro's head.

"Luffy's quite persistent so he'll show up eventually to ask you to join his crew."

"Whatever yo-"

"TAKARA!" I looked up from talking down towards Zoro to see two arms waving at me. Before I could do anything the person hopped over the wall and was running towards us. It was Luffy! Once he got to us he pulled me down off the pole and into a very tight hug.

"Hey Luffy! It's good to see you and all, but I need to breathe!" I yelled at the man who had just suddenly appeared.

"Oh." He loosened his grip and stepped away. "It's good that you're here, help me convince Zoro to join my crew."

"Sure." Luffy walked over in front of Zoro and I followed close behind.

"You again. Don't you have things to do?" Zoro broke out of his thought and told Luffy.

"I'll untie you, but only if you promise to join my crew." Luffy told Zoro.

"Your what?" Zoro questioned.

"His crew." I stated.

"I run a pirate crew, and I'm looking for people to join up." Luffy walked towards Zoro.

"No way! I'd never stoop to joining up with a criminal. Screw that business." Zoro retorted.

"What's wrong with being a pirate?" Luffy asked.

"Their despicable. Look at everyone who joined up with one." Zoro replied.

"Pirates also have the most fun." I commented quietly.

"Oh come on. Give me a break. Everyone already knows you as some vicious bounty hunter always out for blood." Luffy continued.

"People can say whatever they want about me, but I've never done a single thing in my life that I regret. I will make it through this challenge, and after that I'll accomplish what I want." Zoro grinned.

"Yeah that's great." Luffy turned away from Zoro. "But I've already decided that you're going to be on my crew."

"WHAT! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Zoro yelled.

"Well he does it anyway." I told Zoro.

"I hear you're one of the best swordsmen around." Luffy looked at Zoro.

"Well I am, but that idiot Captain's son took mine away." Zoro calmed down.

"Guess I'll just have to go get it back for ya." Luffy declared.

"What?" Zoro asked, confused.

"So if you want your sword your just gonna have to join my crew." Luffy smiled a big, wide grin.

"Now you're really pissing me off!" Zoro yelled. Luffy then ran off laughing. "Wait. He's actually going to bust in there alone?" Zoro asked as Luffy ran off.

"Yup, I'm not going in there with him." I stated as I rocked back on my heels.

"Hey genius! The base is in the other direction!" Zoro yelled after Luffy. Luffy slowed to a stop and looked back.

"Gum-Gum rocket!" Luffy then went flying across the courtyard towards the base.

"Wha-What the hell is this guy?" Zoro stammered.

"He's quite a lot of things so you might want to narrow down the question." I told him.

"Shouldn't you go after him?" He tried looking up at me the best he could.

"No way. He's gonna get in some kind of trouble. I don't want to be part of it." I told him. "Besides, I'd just get in his way." I mumbled the last part. I looked up to see Coby running towards us.

"Hey Coby!" I yelled out to him. He continued running towards us.

"You have to get out of here Zoro." Coby started trying to untie his right arm.

"That maniac's gonna kill you for what you're doing right now." Zoro told him.

"I can't stand to watch the Marine's behave like this anymore." Coby kept trying to untie the ropes. "A true Marine should be honorable."

"Look kid, I can't leave. I got ten days left. And then they're-"

"Well not quite. They're gonna execute you tomorrow." Zoro looked shocked.

"They're what?" Zoro and I questioned.

"Helmeppo never intended to honor your agreement. He planned on killing you from the start. Which made Luffy really angry, so he just knocked him out." I watched as Coby continued trying to untie the ropes holding Zoro to the pole.

"He did?" Zoro looked very serious now.

"Now that the Marines are mad they're dead set on catching Luffy. Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to become a pirate though. But I hope you'll help him, you have a lot of strength you can offer. Luffy's the only person here that can actually save you from execution. And of course, you're the only one here who can save him from a very similar fate." Coby still didn't have the ropes untied. I quickly stepped over and started working on his other arm.

"End of the line." We all turned to look at the Marine Captain walking towards us. Lots of Marine's were with him, all with guns.

"For the crime of treason against me, I sentence you all to die where you stand." The Captain held an ax on his shoulder, actually I think that was his hand. Who replaces their hand with an ax? Meanwhile Coby stood there freaking out. I quickly refocused on the ropes. With one thought I felt my bones become harder. The Marines all got in position and cocked their guns. Coby was still panicking.

"You've been pulling some interesting moves around here. What is this? Some kind of poorly executed cue you planned with the straw hat?" The Captain yelled.

"I've always fought alone like a real man does." Zoro retorted. "Not like a coward who hides behind his wall of expendable cronies."

"Roronoa Zoro, don't you dare underestimate me." The Captain then raised his ax arm and placed it in front of him. "You may be a strong fighter, but under my authority you're just a rat we threw out with the trash. Take aim." He told his men. "Fire!"

I quickly thought of what I needed to do. A small rod of bone cut through my skin and stuck out a few inches from my left forearm. It then spread out into a body sized shield. I heard a crash from above. Luffy suddenly appeared in front of us blocking the bullets. I quickly retracted the bone shield back into my arm before anyone noticed. I felt blood drip down my arm from where the bone had been

"What!" Zoro yelled, looking over at Luffy.

"Luffy, no!" Coby yelled.

"Straw hat." The Captain said. Luffy hunched over and I heard him scoff.

"See ya!" He yelled as he straightened himself and sent bullets everywhere. A bullet just barely missed the Captain's face. Luffy laughed. "That won't work on me. Told ya I was strong." Luffy yelled.

"What the- who the hell are you?" Zoro asked. Luffy turned a bit and looked at him.

"My names Monkey D. Luffy," He turned and gave Zoro a thumbs up. "And I'm gonna be King of the Pirates." He grinned.

* * *

**Chapter 2.**

**I like that I'm doing an episode a chapter.**

**Helps build anticipation.**

**Well, that's all for today.**

**REVIEW!**

**Thanks for reading.**


	3. Stowaway?

The Marines were aiming their guns at us.

"Take aim and fire!" The captain yelled.

With one thought a shield formed out from a bone in my arm. Suddenly Luffy fell out of the sky and landed in front of us. I quickly retracted the shield back into my arm. I felt blood begin to drip down my arm.

I watched as the bullets stretched out of Luffy's back.

"Luffy no!" Coby said.

"Straw hat." The captain declared. The group of Marines began to talk, their faces in pure shock. I heard Luffy laugh.

"Ha!" He stood straight up, arms out, and sent all the bullets out towards the Marines. Luffy then continued to laugh as a bullet whizzed by the captain guy's head.

"That won't work on me!" He laughed. "Told ya I was strong."

"Wha- You wanna tell me just who the hell you are!" Zoro yelled at Luffy. Luffy turned and laughed.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy and I'm gonna be King of the Pirates." He laughed. It was his life's goal afterall.

"You're going to be King of the pirates? Right, you must be completely out of your rubbery mind. You have any idea what that means?" Zoro asked.

"King of the Pirates means King of the Pirates. How could it mean anything other than that?" Luffy asked with a grin.

"Zoro, there's no use trying to it explain it." I told him, I moved a hand up to my arm to help stop the blood.

"Yeah, when he first told me it was shocking, but he's completely serious. That's how he is I suppose, cause he actually seems to have every intention on becoming King of the Pirates and obtaining the world's ultimate treasure the One Piece." Coby told Zoro, Luffy turned and laughed.

"Here's what I promised you." Luffy said holding up three katanas in Zoro's face. "There's three. I couldn't tell which was yours so I just took all of them."

"All of them belong to me." Zoro declared. "I use Santoryu, the three sword style." Luffy stuck the sword out further, he then brought them back and looked at Zoro confused. He then stuck them out again.

"Take em all ready. Just know that if you fight with me now you'll be a government defying villain, so it's either that or you're left out here and killed by the Marines execution style." Luffy said, still grinning.

"What are you the son of the devil? It doesn't matter, cause if I don't chose your side I'll just end up dead on these sticks. So let's do it." Zoro told him.

"AHA! So you're finally gonna join my crew!" Luffy cheered. "This is the best thing ever!"

"Would you quite celebrating already, and get these ropes off me!" Zoro yelled at Luffy.

"I'm on it." I jumped down in front of Zoro, between him and Luffy. I pointed my index finger and a bone jutted out the point of it with one of edges being sharp. I then went to cutting the ropes around his left arm.

"Come on hurry!" Coby yelled. Luffy was trying to untie the ropes around Zoro's right arm.

"They got these on here tight." Luffy complained. I finished up the one on his arm and went to work on the one on his waist,

"Come on, quit screwing around." Zoro said.

"Move let me do it." I pushed Luffy out of the way and started working on cutting the rope. I had just finished the one on his waist anyways. I looked over to see the Marines charging at us.

"Give me one of my damn swords now!" Zoro yelled at Luffy.

"Luffy look!" Coby yelled. Luffy turned and looked at the group of Marines running at us.

"Got it!" I yelled as I finally cut through the rope. Coby screamed, and Zoro was suddenly blocking every single one of the Marine's swords. I retracted my blade and stuck my finger into my mouth as it began bleeding too. After a moment I took it back out.

"Wow, that's so cool!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Make one move and you die." Zoro said through his teeth, and the sword in his mouth. The Marines cringed.

"Today I officially become a criminal, having fought the Marines. So I'll become a pirate, that I can promise you, but I want you to know one thing. While I'm with you the only thing I dedicate myself to is to fulfilling MY ambition." Zoro told Luffy.

"Which is?" Luffy asked.

"To be nothing less than the world's greatest swordsmen." Zoro answered. "If somewhere along the way I have to give that up, I want you to accept responsibility. After which you have to apologize to me."

"The world's greatest swordsmen, sounds pretty good. The King of the Pirates wouldn't have any less than the best on his crew." Luffy declared.

"Big talker." Zoro said. "From this point on, no matter if I'm a criminal or not, I will spread the name Zoro throughout the world." I turned and walked over to Coby.

"What are you standing here frozen for? I want you to kill all four of them right now." The Captain ordered. His men flinched and seemed afraid of their captain.

"You might wanna duck." Luffy told Zoro as he swung back his leg. "Gum-Gum whip!" Luffy shouted as Zoro ducked. I quickly pulled Coby and myself out of the way.

The Marine's being held back by Zoro were knocked away and the Captain looked astonished.

"Yes! You knocked them all down." Coby cheered.

"Of course he did." I smiled, looking at the men across the courtyard.

"Wanna tell me what you are?" Zoro asked after moving to stand with the rest of us.

"I'm just a guy who at the Gum-Gum fruit." Luffy grinned, bending his knee.

"What's the Gum-Gum fruit?" Zoro continued.

"It's like the Bone-Bone fruit." I explained, earning another confused look from Zoro.

I grinned just like Luffy before shaping my teeth like a shark's. He stepped away from me for a moment, clearly surprised as I changed my teeth back. The look on his face caused both Luffy and I to hold back a laugh. Coby in the meantime had moved to hide behind the pole Zoro had been tied to.

"This is a direct order." The Captain began, earning our attention again. "Every Marine that just spouted weakness, pull your gun out and shoot yourself. I can't do anything with weak soldiers." The Captain began as he raised his axe arm.

"What babies." Zoro scoffed. "This'll be easy." Zoro quickly got into a ready stance, only to have Luffy dash past towards the group.

"Luffy!" Coby called. "Bring those Marine's crumbling to their knees." Luffy ran past the Marines, all the way to the Captain. He swung his arm back and punched towards the Captain, his axe blocking the punch.

"I think he's got this." I told Zoro. A moment later he took the sword out of his mouth.

"Rankless lowlife bums!" The Captain insulted as he pulled his coat off his shoulders. "You have no right to defy my superiority." He tossed the coat away over his shoulders and looked ready to fight. "I'm Marine Captain Axe-Hand Morgan!"

"And I'm Luffy." Luffy stated, his tone becoming stern. "Nice to meet ya."

The Captain launched forward and swung at Luffy with his axe hand. Luffy jumped out of the way and behind him. He then jumped again as the Captain turned and swung down at him. His axe hit the ground and sent a large crack out from where it hit, breaking the ground. Coby let out something along the lines of a scream as he watched the crack. A second later, while in the air, Luffy kicked out and nailed the Captain in the jaw. The Captain was sent back and soon both landed ready to attack again.

"He's been hit!" One of the Marines watching said in awe.

"You runt!" The Captain grunted as he pushed himself back up more. Luffy quickly launched himself forward. "Now die!" The Captain yelled, swinging his axe back down at Luffy. Luffy spun out of the way and the axe hit the ground once again.

"I don't think so." Luffy proclaimed as he spun. Then using his momentum he kicked the Captain. He was sent flying back once again.

I let out a chuckle as I looked over the watching Marines. Each had a face of pure astonishment as they watched their Captain get beat. Most looked afraid, but none did anything to stop or participate in the fight.

"What are you laughing about?" Zoro questioned, looking back at me.

"The Marines are all frozen in awe." I pointed out, motioning to the group in question. Zoro looked over before shrugging.

"You call yourself a marine, but you destroyed my friend Coby's dream." Luffy accused. He now stood over the Captain, holding him by the collar. As he said this he punched the Captain and got ready to do so again.

"Straw Hat! Stop right there! Look at what I got!" We all turned at the voice to see a young man in a very formal suit pointing a gun at Coby's head. Luffy continued to punch the Captain, ignoring the shouts of the young man. "Are you stupid or something? I said stop!" The man ordered. "If you would pay attention to me, I have a hostage here you might want to look at!"

"Hey." Zoro said, calling back towards Luffy. I quietly took a few steps back to stand by Zoro.

"Who's that guy and when did he catch Coby?" I whispered, looking up at Zoro.

"Helmeppo, the Captain's son." Zoro said, answering my first question. He didn't continue so my guess was that he didn't know when he caught Coby either.

"If you value your scrawny little friends life then you won't move a muscle. I'm serious. One move and I'll shoot him, I swear!" Helmeppo shouted. The entire time his hand would jolt or jump, shaking the gun.

Coby looked terrified as he watched for Luffy's reaction. In all honestly, one swift action and the gun could have been grabbed considering how Helmeppo held it out. I heard Luffy chuckle and glanced back to see him grin widely. This made Coby calm down slightly.

"Luffy listen!" Coby began. "Don't let anything that happens to me stop you, no matter what! Even if I die."

"Of course. You got it." Luffy agreed. "You hear that you big idiot?" Luffy called to Helmeppo. "Coby's ready to die by your hand." He then held up his arm and walked over towards Zoro and I.

"Don't you move! I said don't move or I'll shoot. I swear it!" Helmeppo shouted, his voice panicked.

"Luffy!" Coby suddenly shouted. In the course of Helmeppo's distraction, the Captain had stood up and was now behind Luffy.

"Gum-Gum…" Luffy started swinging his arm back. The Captain stood behind him with his axe raised.

"Time's up." The Captain declared. "For I am fearless Marine Captain Axe-Hand Morgan!"

Zoro reached up and place the third sword back in his mouth, preparing to fight. I quickly created a circular shield from my arm, using another rod made of bone from the same cut in my forearm. Helmeppo pulled Coby closer to him, wrapping his arm around his neck. Helmeppo kept the gun close to Coby's head, the two looking equally terrified.

"Daddy! Hurry up and kill him already!" Helmeppo shouted.

"Pistol!" Luffy finished.

As Luffy swung his arm forward the Captain swung his axe down. Luffy knocked Helmeppo away, Coby being dragged along. Meanwhile, Zoro and I had stepped between the Captain and Luffy. I went ahead and used my shield to block the axe from hitting Luffy's head. Zoro went in and sliced the Captain's stomach.

"Nice one." Luffy cheered. The Captain groaned and fell back, Zoro standing just out of the way behind him. "Thank you." Luffy told Zoro. I released the shield, and the bone retracted back into my arm. Once it had I reached up and smacked Luffy upside the head.

"I'm just doing my job, Captain." Zoro replied. After grinning to Zoro, Luffy turned and glared at me as he held his head.

"Captain Morgan's been beat." One of the Marines declared. We all turned to look over at them as Zoro put his swords away.

"Unbelievable. Those guys are unreal." Another added as the rest began mumbling.

"If there's anyone else who wants to step forward to fight us then do it now." Zoro ordered.

The Marines all stopped and looked between each other. A moment later they all threw their weapons up into the air along with their hats. As they did this they let out cheers. One Marine announced that they were free. This was followed by similar declarations.

"That's weird. Looks like they're all happy that their Captain was beaten." Luffy stated.

"They must have been afraid of him for a long time before we showed up." Coby said as he joined us. Then out of nowhere Zoro started grunting and then fell back onto the ground.

"Woah, there." I mumbled as I moved to sit next to him.

"Zoro! Are you okay? What's wrong?" Coby questioned, his voice panicked.

"I'm just… hungry." Zoro muttered. I held back a laugh as I hoisted him up onto my shoulder.

"Let's go find a place to eat." I declared, earning a cheer from Luffy. Coby quickly ran over to help me carry Zoro out of the courtyard.

* * *

"Woo, haha, I am stuffed. Ha, having not eaten for three weeks, I was ready to gnaw through my bootstraps." Zoro said, rubbing his stomach. We all laughed at him. We had all found a restaurant and Zoro and Luffy had happily begun eating everything they were provided. Meanwhile, I had gotten help patching him my arm and finger.

"I can't believe you're finished, light weight." Luffy told Zoro.

"How the hell can you have a bigger appetite than a guy who hasn't eaten in weeks?" Zoro pointed out.

"These just taste too good I guess. Right Coby?" Luffy asked.

"Uh... Yeah it's great. Thanks for fixing it for us." Coby turned to the woman behind the bar.

"My pleasure, after all you guys did save the town." She replied.

"You're the most amazing man I've ever met." The woman's daughter told Luffy.

"Yeah, I am, I know. I'll be more amazing when I'm King of the Pirates, and I have the One Piece. Oh, and the best crew on the seas." Luffy said, his mouth full of food.

"So, how many other have you gotten for your crew besides me?" Zoro asked.

"Hmm?" Luffy looked at Zoro.

"You told me that you were in the middle of gathering together the crew for your ship. And if you're gonna be King of the Pirates I gotta assume you have some waiting in the wings." Zoro stated.

"Nope, just you." Luffy said.

"Hey! What about me?!" I yelled at him, while Zoro had a shocked face.

"Nah, you're my stowaway." He laughed.

"I didn't run away just to be your personal stowaway." I mumbled under my breath, while crossing my arms.

"Just," Zoro pointed to Luffy then himself.

"Yup, it's just us." Luffy told him.

"So you and I are what amounts to an entire pirate crew?" Zoro asked.

"Whats wrong with that? We're a couple of strong guys." Luffy replied.

"Kay, please tell me you have a ship." Zoro asked. Luffy used his fork, which had food on it, to point.

"Sure do, it's right there." He pointed at a ship that was tied to a dock, it was small and was being peed on by a dog. Zoro and I stood up and walked to the window to see it.

"You're kidding." Zoro said after a minute.

"Nope, but we'll have an enormous one before long. Just you wait and see." Zoro immediately turned and laughed.

"And how's that?" He asked.

"With a great big pirate flag on top." Luffy then ate the food on his fork. "I can't wait!"

"Yeah, well I'm gonna go 'stowaway' since I'm not actually part of your crew." I stomped out of the bar with my arms crossed. I pushed past all the people watching us from the doorway and headed down towards the boat.

"I'm a stowaway, huh." I scoffed as I continued walking down the street through the town. Having not been watching where I was going, my sandal caught on a lip in the road and I tripped. I barely caught myself from falling onto my face. I groaned before continuing on. Once I got to the boat I stepped in and took a seat in the middle under the mass. I then waited for them to come down here, so we could go.

"If he really thinks of me as a stowaway, then I really don't have to do anything." I told myself. I then decided to lay across the middle of the boat. I closed my eyes and absorbed the heat from the sun. It was actually quite peaceful. I hope that Nami's okay as well. I wonder what happened to her. I sat up and looked over to see Nami getting into her boat. Before I could say anything Zoro and Luffy showed up.

"It is a fitting way to leave this place. Unable to turn back cause everyone here hates us. Very pirate like." Zoro announced. He had a smile on his face and no longer had his bandana on. Instead the fabric was tied around his upper left arm, revealing his short green hair and eyes.

"Hahaha yeah." Luffy laughed. "It sure is." He bent down and began unhooking our ship from the dock.

"I don't think we'd want to come back anyway considering it's a Marine base." I added, moving to lean against the side of the ship.

"Luffy." We all looked up to see Coby standing at the end of the street with the woman from the bar and her daughter. Coby then saluted. "I can never thank you enough. You've done more for me than anyone ever has."

"I've never heard of a Marine thanking a pirate before. That's one for the history books." Zoro stated as he smiled. Luffy in turn grinned and laughed. After that they got in and opened the sail. We caught wind and were soon pulled out to sea.

"We'll meet again Coby. Someday!" Luffy shouted. He stood at the back of the ship and waved. The little girl waved as Coby continued to salute. The Marines from the base had shown up behind Coby and they also saluted as we sailed away. "See ya." Soon they were too far away to see.

"At last. Our pirate crew finally sets sail." Luffy announced, having moved to the front of the ship.

"I got the feeling. Some interesting adventures are waiting for us." Zoro added, earning a laugh from Luffy.

"I'll be King of the Pirates. I know it." Luffy mumbled. I moved to lay along the deck opposite Zoro as he watched Luffy.

"You seem more than obsessed with this King of the Pirates business. Is there some kind of story behind it or any kind of reason at all?" Zoro asked. I turned my head to look over at Zoro, the light in my eyes decreasing as I did so.

"No, no reason." Luffy stated. "It's just…"

"Just what?" Zoro continued.

"I promised someone a while back." Luffy began, his gaze falling down. "I swore that I would gather a crew, find the world's greatest treasure, and become King of the Pirates." Luffy paused before looking back up at the path ahead. "And this straw hat knows the whole story."

"I see." Zoro muttered.

"Now! Let's go! It's time for us to set our heading for the Grand Line!" Luffy yelled, throwing his arms over his head.

"You know, that's great and all." I started sitting up and turning to Luffy. "Except for the fact that we seem to be lacking things." Luffy dropped his arms and looked over to me.

"And what might those be?" Zoro questioned.

"Food, a map, a ship, a chef, a navigator, and not to mention a doctor." I said as I held up fingers to count.

"We're fine." Luffy shrugged as he turned to take a seat.

"No we aren't" I scoffed.

"Well we got a ship right here." Zoro stated.

"Yeah." Luffy cheered.

"We can stop at ports for food." Zoro continued.

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered louder.

"And I'm sure at least one of us can be whatever roles you said." Zoro finished.

"Hah. Wake me up when you guys have a better plan." I laughed before falling back and closing my eyes. I then fell asleep as we sailed out to sea.

* * *

**Chapter 3!**

**That's all for this chapter.**

**Hope you liked it.**

**REVIEW!**

**Thanks for reading.**


	4. Memories and a Reunion

_"Daddy!" I yelled as I banged on the door._

_"Nope, I'm not letting you out. You broke a rule now you're in timeout for half an hour." He told me through the door. He had locked me in his office since I had wandered into the kitchen because I was hungry. I'm not allowed to do a lot of things because I would always end up getting hurt, or hurting someone else. So because of this I am not allowed in the kitchen… or on the main deck… or in the sleeping quarters… or basically anywhere except my dad's office without supervision._

_"But I was hungry!" I yelled at him, after I stopped banging on the door._

_"Rules are rules. I'll be back in thirty minutes." I heard his footsteps stomp away. I grumbled and crossed my arms before walking over to the couch and climbing onto it, I buried my face into a pillow. I was quite use to my father's office, it was a good size and I slept on the couch._

_My father was the great Captain Shanks. With me, being his daughter, and my mother being dead I had no choice but to tag along. He was always going out to sea. This time we had been sailing for awhile now. My dad never told me the next destination._

_I've seen a lot, but I'm restricted from lots of things. You see, I was born with a rare bone thing. Basically I break my bones way more easily compared to other kids my age, and it doesn't help that I'm also a huge klutz. To protect me I tag along, but I have to go through regular tests to check my health. It's a good thing I'm friends with the doctor on board since I see him so much. As soon as we get to shore this would have been the first trip that I haven't broken anything! That's really an accomplishment for me._

_I rolled over and looked around the room. Nothing new, everything old. That's when I noticed the open chest on my dad's desk, a closed one sat beside it. I got up and walked over to the desk. I ran around it and climbed onto the chair. It took me a minute or two since I'm still quite small._

_Once able to I looked into the chest. Inside it was an apple sized fruit. It was white and in the shape of a skull. It looked delicious, but also a bit scary. I was so hungry and dinner wasn't for a few more hours. All I needed was a little snack._

_"No harm, no foul." I told myself. I then picked the fruit up out of the chest and took a bite. It sorta tasted like milk, but had a sweet fruitfulness to it. I quickly finished it and felt better, for at least the next few hours. I then walked over to a small map that had been placed on a wall. I looked at it closely. It had several red pins in it. Those were places we've been to. The yellow ones were future destinations. Then I saw the blue ones that had been the ones we had gone to on our latest trip, a green string tied all the blue ones together in a line. It plotted our location. I noticed that a blue pin was on a place we hadn't been to in almost a year. That was our next destination, and I knew we were close. The door suddenly flew open and I jumped at the sound._

_"Half hour's up, kid. And we're at the port. Someone's waiting for you." One of my father's crew member's, Lucky Roo, told me. I quickly pushed past him and out onto the deck, a smile planted on my face. I ran off the boat, pushing past anyone who got in my way. That's when I saw a familiar head of black hair standing outside a bar that all my father's crew was entering._

_"Luffy!" I called out waving as I continued to run. He turned and looked over. I saw a smile grow on his face. I saw his mouth begin to form the beginning of my name when the the sound came booming from the ship behind me._

_"TAKARA!" I heard my father's voice from behind me on the ship. I picked up the pace and ran directly towards Luffy. I gripped onto his shoulder and spun myself behind him. I hid behind Luffy as my father walked off the boat._

_"What'd you do now?" Luffy laughed. I jabbed his ribs just enough to stop his laugh._

_"I don't know, but we shouldn't laugh about it if it involves my dad." His face became fearful like mine._

_"That's true. And I'm not getting in between you and him." Luffy then ran into the bar, my father was in front of me instantly. He held the chest that had had the weird fruit in it in front of me._

_"Where's the fruit that was in this chest?" He demanded._

_"I don't know." I replied with a shrug. I then ran in after Luffy. Before my father could come in I ran and hid behind the bar. Makino walked over and looked down at me. I put a finger to my lips and she nodded._

_"Have you seen Takara?" My father asked Makino._

_"Nope, sorry Shanks." She told him, shaking her head. I breathed a sigh of relief as he sat down at the bar and everyone started to chat and talk cheerfully in the bar. Soon everyone was drinking and having a good time while I drank some juice underneath the bar._

_"Hey, you gotta take me with you on your next adventure Shanks. I want to be a pirate just like you." Luffy told my father. I smiled at the idea of him coming with. My father laughed._

_"Right, as if you could ever be a pirate." My father replied._

_"Why couldn't I? Takara's one." Luffy asked. I handed up my empty glass to Makino who started cleaning it. I then slowly crept out from under the bar. I walked down the length of it and looked at all the things under it as I came to a stop near the spot Luffy and my father were sitting._

_Before I could hear the rest of the conversation, my focus moved to a cook book near me. I picked it up and rested it in my lap. I then flipped it open and looked through it. There were pictures of different kinds of food. As I flipped through it there was a loud crash. I continued flipping through the book, assuming the crash was from my father's men. I stopped on a page that had a picture of strawberries sitting in a flower shape on top of a cake._

_There was another crash, this time it was more glass like. I watched as Makino rushed out from behind the bar. I placed the book down next to me and I pulled open a drawer to grab a rag. I then ran after her with a rag in my hand. Before I could see what had made the noise there was another crash._

"_Since you like to clean things so much maybe you'll find this mess more fulfilling." I heard a deep voice announced. I peeked around the bar to see my father sitting on the ground. He was dripping wet, glass was all over the floor, and a very big man stood over my father with his sword drawn. "A place with no sake is a place not worth our time, men. Let's get outta here." The big man then walked out of the bar along with his men. "See ya later, pansies." I quickly walked around the bar and to my dad on the floor. I then used my rag and started to dry him off._

_"Captain, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Makino asked, coming over as well._

"_Not a problem in the world Makino." My father replied, lifting one arm. Suddenly my father lifted up his arm and grabbed me._

_"Ew! Let go!" I screamed. "You're covering me with sake!" He started laughing with the rest of his crew._

_"Caught you." He teased. He let me go and I stood in front of him._

_"Look what you did." I declared, pulling out the bottom of my shirt. My entire outfit was covered in a layer of sake. A moment later I was laughing along with everyone else, my father pulling me back into a hug._

"_Why are you all laughing?" Luffy suddenly yelled, silencing the crew. We all looked over to see Luffy standing on top of his chair. "What's so funny? You should have fought back Shanks. It doesn't matter how strong they look or how many of them there are. If you just laugh it off you're not a man or a pirate!" My father loosened his grip and I moved to his on his leg as he crossed his legs underneath him. _

"_Look Luffy I know how you feel, but the guy just spilled some booze on me. It's not worth getting bent outta shape" My father answered calmly._

"_Whatever." Luffy said as he turned back to the bar, clearly disappointed. My father then turned to look over at Makino as he put his hat back on._

"_Wait, Dad." I began, turning to face him and Makino. "Can I stay with Makino while you go on your next trip?" I asked._

"_Sure, if Makino's okay with it." My father shrugged as he used his hand to mess up my hair. I quickly looked over to Makino who smiled._

"_I think it'll be fine." Makino added with a small laugh. Then we all heard a loud crunch and looked up to Luffy._

"_You shouldn't eat outta frustration Luffy." My father said._

"_Yeah, you'll get all chubby." I added before puffing my cheeks out with air._

"_Wait, what are you eating?" My father demanded. I quickly climbed out of his lap and moved to stand by Makino who was kneeling on the ground. Luffy swallowed and looked at my father. Both of our faces held terror. "No, you didn't. Don't tell me you also ate the fruit that was in that box." He continued. I froze, was he also talking about me. He quickly grabbed Luffy by the ankles and started shaking him up and down. Meanwhile everyone else stared at me._

_"Spit it out right now!" My father told Luffy. Yasopp then ran over to me._

_"Did you eat that fruit earlier?" He asked, hands lightly placed on my shoulders. I nodded, ever so slightly. When I looked back over at Luffy his face was on the ground while his neck stretched like rubber._

_"I don't want that to happen to me!" I screamed. Makino reached over and brought me into a hug._

_"It's okay sweetie. I'm sure you won't be like that." She rubbed the back of my head while I cried into her shirt._

_"No, I'm gonna end up just like that. All rubbery and I'm gonna be even more of a klutz, and..." I trailed off as I stopped crying. "Wait, I didn't eat the same kind of fruit as him." I told myself._

_"What did you say?" My father said, setting down Luffy._

_"I ate the fruit that looked like a skull." I told him. He stared with blank eyes._

_"You're both dumb asses!" He yelled, while pulling at his hair._

* * *

_"Let go!" I screamed. Luffy had pissed off a group of mountain bandits that had been in Makino's bar both today and before my father left. My father had let me stay with Makino while he went on a short trip, he should be back soon. I had been helping Makino in her bar and accidentally spilled a meal on one of the bandits. He was now holding me over the well by my hair while Luffy was being kicked._

_I kicked and flailed. I screamed at the top of my lungs, trying to get the bandit to let go of my hair. I squinted my eyes shut and screamed so loud I couldn't hear. I felt a cold blade next to my chin. I stopped screaming, gulped, and stopped flailing. I opened my eyes to see Luffy being stepped on._

_"That's a good girl." I clenched my fists and stared directly down at the water below me. My father had said that because I ate the fruit I lost all ability to swim, forever. I felt my body begin to shake. He was glad I had eaten the skull fruit because now I could control my bones, thus rendering my bone disease gone. I could also change my teeth, hands, and feet into different shapes, but if they cut through my skin they caused more physical damage._

_"Scared of a little water?" The man asked me. I looked over at him with a grin and I stopped shaking._

_"Not a chance." I snickered, trying to look as strong as I could._

"_I was wondering why the bar was empty on such a fine day." I looked up to see my dad and his crew standing behind Makino and the Mayor. "So, it's the mountain bandit's again."_

"_Captain Shanks." Makino announced._

"_Pirates." The mountain bandit Leader began. "You're just now showing your heads? Have you been spending all this time scrubbing the village?"_

"_Luffy, didn't you say earlier that your punches were stronger than pistols?" My father asked, ignoring the Leader._

"_Shut your mouth." Luffy grunted out, underneath the Leader's foot._

"_Listen. I don't know what you think you're doing here, but you might want to leave." The Leader ordered. "You wouldn't want something bad to happen, and I have just the man to deliver this message." We watched as one of the bandits raised a gun to my father's head._

"_I'll blow your head off if I have to, but that's up to you my friend." The bandit with the gun stated. Several of the other bandits started to laugh quietly at the statement, including the Leader._

"_Would you risk your life?" My father asked. The bandit with the gun didn't reply. "Now that you've drawn your pistol, are you willing to use it?"_

"_What the hell are you talking about?" The bandit with the gun questioned. My father then turned his head and pointed at the gun. _

"_I'm saying that guns aren't for threats, they're for actions." My father declared. It was then that Lucky Roo stepped forward and fired the gun, killing the man aiming at my father. Still being Lucky Roo, he took a bite out of the meat he was holding. There were a few gasps before I struggled a bit against the man holding me. _

"_You! You're a deadman!" One of the bandits yelled._

"_These guys fight dirty." Another bandit commented._

"_Dirty?" Yasopp questioned._

"_Who did you think you were dealing with? We never claimed to be saints or anything." My father's first mate, Beckman, told the bandits._

"_You fellas are staring down a crew of pirates." My father said._

"_Shut up. We just want the kids not you." A bandit interrupted._

"_Listen up, bandits. Whether I'm sprayed with alcohol or doused with food, hell, even if I'm spit on most of the time I'll just laugh it off and forget about it, but if you hurt a friend of mine, you'll pay for it regardless of your reason." My father declared._

"_Hahahahahaha! So we're gonna pay?" The Leader laughed. "Lousey pirates. Kill 'em all men."_

_I watched as all the men ran at the crew except for the bandit holding me and the Leader. Beckman stepped forward, pulled out his gun and swung it at the men, knocking them all away._

"_You shouldn't get too cocky. If you really wanted to fight us, looks like a battleship or something bigger would have been more useful." Beckman announced, pointing his gun at the Leader._

"_Hold on. Please!" The Leader started. He moved so that he no longer was stepping on Luffy and he had his sword drawn. "It was the kid who attacked us."_

"_Yeah." The bandit holding me added, supporting his leader._

"_I thought you were a wanted man." My father accused. The Leader was thrown back by the comment._

_The Leader then lifted up a large black ball. He threw it down onto the ground in a large puff of smoke. Suddenly the man holding me let go and I let out a scream. I was dropped down into the well and it felt like the man who had been holding me up had fallen too. He was now laying across the opening of the well, so even if I could swim I wouldn't be able to get out because of him._

_The smoke cleared and I gasped and attempted to get air. A moment later Beckman was pulling the man off the well and Yasopp was pulling me out. I coughed several times before resting my head on his shoulder as he carried me over to my father._

"_Thank god you're safe." My father announced, brushing hair out of my face. I gave him a big smile before looking around._

"_Where's Luffy?" I asked._

"_Oh, no! I let that guy take him." My father shouted in a panic. He had both hands on either side of his head and he looked at Lucky Roo for help. "What are we going to do?"_

"_Boss calm down. Quit freaking out. We'll find him in no time." Lucky Roo assured my father as Yasopp passed me to Makino. Makino then took me away to her bar as my father and his crew made a plan._

* * *

_My father had found Luffy and brought him back to the island safely. Although, now he was missing his left arm. He was currently off packing up the boat with more supplies. He had planned to take me with, but I got off the boat right before they left and went to go see Luffy. I walked up to him as he watched the ship get packed._

"_He looks cooler y'know." I mumbled as I walked up._

"_Sorry." Luffy said, his gaze dropping to the ground._

"_It's okay, Luffy." I quickly reached over and pushed his chin back up. "It'll make him look more like a pirate. Trust me."_

"_You're right." Luffy commented after a moment, a smile back on his face. We watched as my father walked up to us and stood in front of Luffy and I. "So you're leaving?"_

"_Yeah. It was a nice extended vacation, but we have to part ways now. I'll bet you'll miss me, right?"_

"_Yeah, but this time's different. I won't beg you to take me with you." I looked at Luffy in astonishment. "Cause I'm gonna become a pirate all on my own." My father then turned and stuck his tongue out at Luffy._

"_I wouldn't take you with me anyway." My father stated. "You'll never make it as a pirate."_

"_No! I will make it as a pirate." Luffy shouted. "Someday I'll gather a crew even better than yours, and I'm gonna find the greatest treasure in the world, and then I'll be King of the Pirates! I'll show you!"_

"_Huh, you think you'll surpass us?" My father questioned. He then took off his hat and placed it on Luffy's head. "In that case, I'll leave this hat to you. It means more to me then anything in the world so you better take good care of it. You hear me?" I watched as Luffy started to cry and my father went off to the ship._

"_I will come back and visit, okay?" I said before running off to follow my father. He lead me up to the top deck near the back of the ship. From there he lifted me up and we waved at the village as we left. Luffy stood at Makino's feet, clutching onto the hat._

* * *

I woke up looking at the sky. The clouds seemed to pass by without a care in the world. I turned my head and looked over at Luffy, who had been staring at my father's hat.

"Luffy. Hey, you're gonna drop that again." Zoro told him. I sat straight up.

"You dropped his hat!?" I yelled.

"I got it back though!" He yelled back at me.

"But you're not even supposed to drop it!" I retorted.

"I wouldn't have dropped it if it weren't for Zoro rocking the boat!" He told me.

"Only because you insulted me!" Zoro butted in.

"Whatever. Just don't do it again Rubber-Head." I told Luffy, laying back down and closing my eyes.

"Klutz." Is all he said.

"I can live up to that." I pointed out, sticking my hand up.

"Yeah, well I can live up to being Rubber-Head." He retorted.

"Luffy, that's not something to be proud of." Zoro told the dense idiot.

"Really?" Luffy asked.

"There's no use." I told the Zoro.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luffy asked, leering over me. I shoved his face up and away, but he instead slipped, and fell on top of me. The air was knocked out of me as he pushed up off my ribs and stood up. I rolled over and coughed.

"Hey look, a bird." Zoro said, I looked up only to be blinded by the sun.

"I know! Let's eat it." Luffy declared.

"I don't see any bird." I told Luffy.

"Help me get it then." Luffy declared. He stretched his arms up to the mast and flung himself, and before he got too far he wrapped his arm around my waist and yanked me up with him. I let out a startled scream before glaring up at the man. Then I realized that there was a bird, and it was way bigger than we thought. In a second's time, Luffy's head was caught in the bird's beak and I was trapped in it's talons that wrapped around my waist.

"Luffy!" I yelled, I started pushing on the bird's talons and kicking my legs.

"WAHHHHHHH! Help me!" Luffy screamed.

"You idiot! Why'd you take me with you!?" I yelled at him.

"I was hungry!" He yelled at me.

"Look where that got us!" I retorted.

"Yeah, but at least we can see land now." I looked ahead to see an island.

"When did that get there?" I asked. I slowly stopped pushing on the bird's foot and in seconds we were nearly over the island.

"Why's it look so empty?" Luffy asked. I looked down to see someone running through the street.

"No, look." I pointed at the person. "Someone's right-" I was interrupted by a cannon ball being fired and hitting the bird. The talon released and I fell down towards the town. "Luffy!" I called out. A pair of arms wrapped around my waist as we hurdled towards the ground.

We crashed into the ground at the feet of a girl. A huge amount of dust was sent into the air.

"Luffy! You idiot!" I elbowed said man in the ribs.

"Dammit. Why are their cannon balls flying at me?" He asked. I groaned and coughed at some of the dust. When the dust cleared I noticed that I lay across Luffy's lap, while he sat in a crater. I groaned and crawled off his lap. I slowly stood up and looked up and down the street. I saw a group of three men and a orange haired girl.

"Nami!" I yelled, recognizing the girl. I jumped to my feet and walked over to her, she had a face of pure shock on. "Long time no see." I said, with a giant smile

"And what just happened to me was awesome." Luffy declared.

* * *

**The end.**

**I hope you liked Takara's back story.**

**REVIEW!**

**I want to hear what you think.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	5. Buggy

"Luffy!" I yelled, I started pushing on the bird's talons and kicking my legs.

"WAHHHHHHH! Help me!" Luffy screamed.

"You idiot! Why'd you take me with you!?" I yelled at him.

"I was hungry!" He yelled at me.

"Look where that got us!" I retorted.

"Yeah, but at least we can see land now." I looked ahead to see an island.

"When did that get there?" I asked. I slowly stopped pushing on the bird's foot and in seconds we were nearly over the island.

"Why's it look so empty?" Luffy asked. I looked down to see someone running through the street.

"No, look." I pointed at the person. "Someone's right-" I was interrupted by a cannon ball being fired and hitting the bird. The talon released and I fell down towards the town. "Luffy!" I called out. A pair of arms wrapped around my waist as we hurdled towards the ground.

We crashed into the ground at the feet of a girl. A huge amount of dust was sent into the air.

"Luffy! You idiot!" I elbowed said man in the ribs.

"Dammit. Why are their cannon balls flying at me?" He asked. I groaned and coughed at some of the dust. When the dust cleared I noticed that I lay across Luffy's lap, while he sat in a crater. I groaned and crawled off his lap. I slowly stood up and looked up and down the street. I saw a group of three men and a orange haired girl.

"Nami!" I yelled, recognizing the girl. I jumped to my feet and walked over to her, she had a face of pure shock on. "Long time no see." I said, with a giant smile

"And what just happened to me was awesome." Luffy declared.

"Are you serious? You fell out of a bird's mouth!" I nearly yelled.

"That doesn't mean it wasn't awesome." He told me. "Jeez, I'm so hungry."

"Oh, hey Boss! Thanks for coming to save me!" Nami said, her hands held together. She walked right up to Luffy. Luffy looked over at Nami.

"Who're you?" Luffy asked with a straight face. Before I could say anything she suddenly turned around and started running down the street.

"They're all yours now Boss. Have fun!" Nami told us as she ran. I looked over towards Luffy.

"Do you know her?" He asked, gesturing towards the girl with his thumb.

"Yeah. Remember when you met that fat lady pirate? Well that's the girl whose boat I was stuck on until I met back up with you at the Marine base." He nodded his head knowingly with his eyes closed. "You didn't understand a word I just said." I groaned. He looked up.

"Yup." He smiled big and wide.

"Want me to go catch her?" I asked, giving into his smile.

"Sure." I gave him a small salute before running off. I ran down the street and turned down the corner Nami had. I stopped when I came to an empty street. I looked in every direction before looking up at the roofs only to see a pair of legs disappear.

"Ah, ha." I announced as I scaled the wall and went up onto the roof. I managed to catch Nami as she climbed towards the peak of the roof.

"I wonder if they've killed that poor guy yet." Nami mumbled as I caught up to her.

"Highly doubtful." Nami finally noticed me and nearly slid back upon hearing my comment.

"You followed me?" Nami questioned.

"Yeah." I replied before continuing up the roof. "And it's not very nice to ditch someone to fight your fight."

"Wait a minute, is that the guy you ditched me for at the last island?" Nami asked as she followed me up the roof.

"His name is Luffy, and yes he is. He's the same guy I lost back when I found you." I explained. We both got to the edge of the roof and looked down to see two men collapsed on the ground, Luffy standing not too far away from them.

"Wow." Nami awed. "You're really strong." She called down. She then stood up and jumped down to the balcony below. I quickly did the same. "Even though both of them had sabres you beat them bare handed."

"Hey, you're the girl who set me up. Who are you?" Luffy asked, looking at Nami

"Her name is-" Before I could finish Nami covered my mouth with her hand.

"I'm a talented thief who steals strictly from pirates. The name's Nami." She smiled towards Luffy. Before she could continue I licked her palm. She yanked her hand and glared at me for such an action. "You don't know where that's been!" Nami accused as she rubbed her wet palm against her side.

"Actually it was on the roof a minute ago." I corrected her. She smirked for a second before smiling back down at Luffy.

"Hey, wanna team up with me?" She asked. As she waited for an answer I pushed myself over the railing and I dropped down to the ground.

"Um.. Thanks anyway Lady, but I think I'll pass." Luffy then turned and started walking away down the street. I waved up at Nami before catching up to him.

"Hold on!" I turned to see Nami jump off the balcony. I quickly turned back around. "At least think about it first!" She called out to Luffy, running after us. Luffy stopped walking and held his stomach, it quickly started grumbling.

"I just remembered." He fell to his knees. "I'm still so hungry." I bent down and looked at him deeply.

"You forgot this?" I asked in a monotone voice. He nodded.

"Well come with me and we'll find you something to eat." Nami offered. In the next second Luffy was standing up, and had knocked me over in the process.

"Ya! Are you serious!?" Luffy asked. I glared up at him before moving into a sitting position. I then brought my leg forward and swept it toward Luffy. It connected with his ankle and he fell backward, a loud 'THUMP' resounding from his landing.

"Stop knocking me over." I told him while he was on the ground. He looked over at me, his face blank for a second. He then looked at Nami.

"Which way?" Luffy questioned. She pointed down the street and in a split second he had gotten up, grabbed me by the waist, and was pulling Nami with us down the street.

"Luffy! You're just as bad as the bird!" I yelled to the boy who had a giant smile on and was laughing. He came screeching to a halt.

"Where now?" He asked, clearly intent on only one thing.

"That building." Nami pointed to a small looking shop and we were in it within another second or two.

"Put me down!" I screamed.

"So demanding." He placed me down in a chair and I glared at him. I watched as Luffy sat across from me and Nami sat down the table from us, on the table. Luffy soon had a basket full of bread in front of him and started to stuff his face. I quickly snatched one before he ate them all like usual.

"So do you live in this big house all by yourself?" He asked Nami, his mouth full.

"Don't talk with food in your mouth." I told him.

"Why?" He said, his mouth still filled with food.

"It's gross that's why!" I explained.

"This isn't my house. I'm just staying here for the time being. Everyone's left this town because of Captain Buggy." She told us.

"So you're just a petty thief." Luffy declared.

"How rude. I only steal from people who deserve it. Pirates. So don't compare me to some scumbag, petty, thief." Nami finished.

"Pirates aren't all that bad." I said as I leaned back in my chair. I slowly munched on my small loaf of bread.

"A thief is a thief as far as I'm concerned." Luffy stated after finishing a loaf of bread.

"Better." I mumbled, noticing he hadn't spoken with his mouth full that time.

"My goal is to earn 100 million beli no matter how hard it is or how long it takes." Nami proclaimed.

"What do you need so many beli for anyways?" Luffy questioned.

"It's a secret, but with this chart of the Grand Line the 100 million is now a definite possibility." Nami said as she hid the map.

"The chart? So you must be a navigator." Luffy said, piecing things together.

"Well that's cool. I didn't know you were a navigator." I said with a smile before finishing my bread.

"I'm the most skilled navigator you're ever likely to meet." Nami declared.

"Oh, wow! That's perfect. Then how about you join my crew? I've been looking to recruit a navigator." Luffy stated, as he stood up.

"Really?" Nami asked.

"Sure. You can be our newest crew member." Luffy continued.

"That sounds like a great idea." I smiled.

"No." Nami suddenly stated. "I suppose this means you're a pirate."

"Yeah, I made a solemn promise. I promised the guy who gave me this hat that I'd form a crew and become the greatest pirate ever." Luffy explained as he examined his hat. Nami then slammed her hands on the table and we both looked over at her.

"There's nothing in this world that I despise more than pirates. I only like money and tangerines." Nami announced. I grinned at the thought that Nami would most definitely be dragged into being a pirate, just like Zoro.

"Come on. Be our navigator." Luffy said as he put his hat back on.

"I said no." Nami declared, walking away towards the window.

"Your loss." Luffy stated as he sat back down to eat.

"Bummer." I added as I sat back down again.

"I guess I might consider joining you, but only if you'll agree to certain conditions." Nami announced. Her sudden change of mind felt odd.

"Really? I'll do anything." Luffy pleaded.

"Luffy, don't say things like that." I said as I kicked Luffy underneath the table. This earned me a glare.

"Well then, I want you to come with me to pay a little visit to Buggy the pirate. But first…" Nami told us as she pulled out some rope.

Over the next few minutes Nami tied us both up. Luffy voluntarily let Nami tie him up. I on the other hand had to be ordered by Luffy. This was after at least a minute of me refusing and trying convince Luffy that this was a horrible idea.

"Why did you have to tie us up?" Luffy questioned as Nami held onto the ropes tied around us.  
"The rope's just for appearances." Nami assured.

"That's comforting." I mumbled sarcastically.

"Well ok then." Luffy grinned. "I've been looking forward to meeting some other pirates. So let's get going."

"Just hold your horses. What's the big rush?"Nami questioned.

Nami then lead us out of the house and out onto the road. We were taken down a couple streets to a building in what must have been the center of town. We met a man at the base of the building who lead us up several flights of stairs and to the roof. Once on the roof we found what looked to be a pirate crew, their captain sitting under a little tent in the middle of everything. Nami lead us out and in front of the tent.

"It's her!" A pirate shouted at us.

"That's the sneaky thieves who stole the chart." Another yelled while pointing at us. Nami then turned us to face the pirate captain who must have been Buggy. She shoved us forward and we both yelled out as we dropped to our stomachs.

"I've captured the thief Captain Buggy, the Clown." Nami announced as she walked between us towards Buggy with the map. So that was her plan. "And here's your chart back."

"Not that I don't appreciate it, but why the sudden change of heart little girl?" Buggy questioned.

"I had another fight with my boss and I just can't take it anymore. So I thought I'd see if could join your crew." Nami announced, stepping back towards us after handing Buggy the map. Suddenly Buggy began snorting.

"C-Captain Buggy sure does look angry, doesn't he?" One of Buggy's crew members asked.

"He's gonna use the devil fruit power." Another added. Buggy was a devil fruit user?

"Really?" Luffy questioned, his head pointed towards mine. I had mine turned towards him as well.

"I wonder what kind." I said aloud as I tried to look up at Buggy from my position. His snorting then turned into a giant obnoxious clown like cackle.

"You're fed up, huh? I must admit you're an amusing girl. I like you. Of course you can join my crew." Buggy declared before cackling once more.

"Wait a minute Buggy." I called interrupting his laugh. Once he had finally stopped, he looked down at me. Using my knees and shoulders I pushed myself to a sitting position facing Buggy.

"Who are you?" Buggy questioned and I noticed his eyes look me over. Before I could talk Buggy had continued. "Wait, was your mother's name Nadine?"

"Uh… Yeah." I mumbled, taken aback by the question. He then let out a cackle before his eyes met mine. "You knew my mother?"

"Of course I did." Buggy grinned before cackling a bit. "Why don't we have a talk later… Bring her in here and cage the other one." Buggy ordered. I was suddenly yanked up and dragged into Buggy's tent as other men moved to pick up Luffy. I was placed out of sight by the first pirate as another one ran up. The second one looked a lot like a clown with a similar grin.

"We can't have you making a racket." The pirate clown declared before sticking a gag in my mouth. Everything was muffled from inside the tent, but before long Buggy was leaving the tent.

"Let's have a welcome party for our new friend Nami. Let's celebrate!" I heard Buggy announce as I tried to get a glimpse outside the tent.

As the celebration began, Buggy moved back to his chair inside the tent. I was then hoisted over and sat beside him. He was brought a table with food. Nami sat on a box on the other side with a basket of bread between us. Outside the tent I could see people doing circus tricks. One man behind Nami held a sword in his teeth and balanced on one foot. Then as Buggy ate meat with one hand and held a mug of booze in the other I tried to look for Luffy.

"What's wrong? We're throwing this party in your honor. So eat up." Buggy ordered as he looked across the table at Nami. She glanced over at me and I shrugged.

"Thanks for the party Captain Buggy." Nami smiled. With no sign of Luffy I leaned forward and rested my head on the table. Every so often Buggy would cackle and I would glance over.

"This is such a flashy party." Buggy declared at one point. "Now listen up!" Buggy called out to his crew. I sat up and looked over at him as he posed with one arm pointed up as he slanted himself. "Men, it's time to prepare the Buggy Ball." Buggy announced receiving a chorus of cheers.

I was lifted to my knees and brought out to stand beside Buggy. Nami stood on the other side of him as his crew gather around us. I watched as a cannon was moved out onto the roof and then bolted to the ground. One of Buggy's men then walked over and slid a large cannon ball with Buggy's Jolly Roger on it into the cannon. It thudded and clanged as it rolled down the barrel.

"All set Captain." One of the men around the cannon stated.

"Wh-What are you doing with that thing?" Nami asked.

"Just observe the awesome might of the Buggy Ball." Buggy ordered. "You too." Buggy added as he looked down at me. "Light it." Buggy ordered once he was looking towards the cannon again.

As the fuse was lit we all watched in anticipation. I looked towards where the cannon was pointed to see rows upon rows of houses. More than a few men covered their ears once the fuse was lit.

In a moment's time it had fired. A deep boom resounded around us as a bright light left the cannon and went through the houses before it. Along with the boom came a wave of vibrations and I found myself dropping to my knees to retain balance. There was a large plume of smoke left behind once the light had gone and the shaking had stopped.

What was left was an empty path where houses had once been. Piles of debris lay everywhere and it looked like chunks of concrete were missing as well. A large chunk of the roof we were on was gone too, all the way up to where the cannon sat. After the rumbling subsided the men around us began to cheer as I was left in awe.

"That was flashy." Buggy cackled quietly. "With these Buggy Balls and my devil fruit powers, I should have no problem conquering the Grand Line. Right, Nami?" I looked over to see Buggy looking down towards Nami who seemed stunned.

"Right. Yes, of course." Nami answered quickly.

"Huh?" All eyes turned to look at Luffy in his cage across the roof. "But it's my destiny to conquer the Grand Line, and then I'm going to become King of the Pirates."

"Shut up, idiot." Nami ordered, and for the first time I agreed with her even if I couldn't express it. My eyes then refocused on Buggy as he started to cackle.

"I could see why you're sick of him Nami." Buggy said as he looked toward her.

"Yeah, I know. He never takes anything seriously. Thinks that life's a big game. He acts like a little kid." Nami grinned and chuckled. I nodded slightly because I knew that she was lying, but she got every point right.

"I see." Buggy began. "Then how about I give you a Buggy Ball to blow away your old boss." I felt my eyes widen at the thought. Nami on the other hand seemed confused. "It'll be a great opportunity for you to prove your loyalty to me, your new Captain." Buggy continued. I climbed back onto my feet and watched as Nami was surprised by Bucky's statement. "Men." On cue, Buggy's men began moving and preparing the cannon right in front of Luffy's cage with Buggy, Nami, and I standing near the fuse.

"That's all right Captain. We don't have to finish him off quite yet. Let's get back to the welcoming party and have more fun." Nami tried to change topics away from shooting Luffy. So she didn't want to kill him afterall.

"This is my idea of having more fun." Buggy laughed slightly before handing Nami a box of matches. Soon Buggy's men were chanting 'Fire' as Nami stared at the box. "Now light the fuse, Nami!" Buggy yelled as he threw his hands up.

Nami continued to just stand there. She had pulled the box down to her side and was now watching Luffy. As everyone focused on the situation I made small blades on my wrists and upper arms. I then wiggled the ropes slowly and they all started to loosen as they were cut, but none fell off yet.

"Hey! You're not wimping out on me are you?" Buggy questioned after Nami didn't act. Her arms were tight against her sides and I noticed her fists shaking. She was afraid of doing this.

"What's the matter?" Luffy questioned, attracting both Nami and I's gaze. "Your hands are shaking… That's what happens when you take on pirates with half-ass resolve." Luffy's voice was calm and steady as he watched Nami.

"Resolve!? To do what? To kill someone like it's nothing? Is that a pirate's resolve?" Nami asked, clearly agitated.

"No. You've gotta be willing to risk your own life." Luffy finished. A man then took the match box from Nami and struck a match. I looked over at Luffy. I needed to do something fast if he lit it.

The man moved the lit match towards the fuse as I continued to cut the ropes. Then Nami pulled out three different rods and connected them to make a staff. She then used it to knock the pirate out. The action caused the chanting to stop as everyone was shocked by her action.

"My mistake. Sorry." Nami apologized as she looked over at Buggy.

"Nami!" Buggy growled. "What's the meaning of this outrage?"

"I'm sorry." Nami tried again, panicked. She quickly bowed, but it didn't seem to be working.

"What's wrong? Just shoot him already!" Buggy yelled at her.

"Huh? So now you've decided to save me?" Luffy asked.

"Don't be so stupid." Nami yelled at him. "I'm not doing this for you, you idiot. I just don't want to lower myself to the level of these inhuman pirates."

"Okay, thanks anyway." Luffy stated. Nami had her staff still drawn and seemed ready to fight anyone that came at her.

"Pirates took the life of a person very dear to me. I'll never be one of them." Nami announced. I stopped trying to cut the ropes as I realized what she had said. A person very dear to her?

"Nami! The fuse!" Luffy suddenly yelled. I looked over and saw a lit fuse on the cannon aimed at him.

"So you think pirates are just inhuman filth, is that right? Get her men!" Buggy ordered.

I quickly yanked on the ropes around my wrists, which broke as I finished cutting them. As the ropes dropped to the floor, I made the blades at my wrists bigger, and reached them up to swiftly cut the ropes around my upper half. As they dropped, I ran towards Nami along with several other men following Buggy's orders. As I ran I pulled the gag out of my mouth. Meanwhile, Nami tried to stop them, but they jumped out of the way of her staff. The next attack lead to her release of the staff and she ran to the cannon. She got there just before I did, placing both hand over the fuse. She let out a scream before I made a blade from my palm and cut the fuse. I then released the blade and opened her hands to drop the hot fuse.

"Didn't your parents ever teach you to not mess with fire?" I questioned as I looked at the black marks on her hands.

"Watch out!" Luffy called and I looked up to see three men jumping towards us. Before I could do anything Zoro had appeared. He stood over us blocking the men's attacks with his sheathed swords.

"Hey now. It's not very nice of you guys to gang up on the poor girl." Zoro grunted out. Luffy grinned and laughed upon seeing the swordsman.

"Zoro!" Luffy yelled, a bit giddy. Nami and I then turned to look at the man who had just knocked away Buggy's men.

"You hurt?" He asked, and after not getting a reply he tried again. "I said, are you hurt?"

"N-No, I'm fine I think." Nami replied, her voice breathless.

"Whew. What a relief. I'm glad you found us." Luffy called. "Now hurry up and come get me out of here."

"How do you keep getting yourself into these situations? First a bird flies off with you and now I find you trapped in a cage." Zoro questioned as he turned towards Luffy.

"Don't look at me. I just get dragged along." I stated quietly from next to Nami.

"It's an interesting story actually." Luffy answered.

"It's called him being a Rubber-Head." I commented.

"Hey! I heard that." Luffy shouted at me.

"Good." I said as I turned and stuck my tongue out at him before smiling. Zoro then walked past me as I stayed beside Nami.

"So you're Zoro." Buggy began. I jumped slightly as he suddenly appeared in front of us. "If you're here for my head, you've got quite a struggle before you."

"No. Not interested. I gave up pirate hunting. I'm here for my friends." Zoro replied as I inched my way behind Nami.

"But I'm interested though. Killing you would boast to my reputation." Buggy smirked.

"If you try, you'll die." Zoro declared.

"Oh? Is that so?" Buggy questioned in a song like tone. He pulled out a pair of sabres and spun one a bit before catching it.

"I tried to warn you, but oh well." Zoro grumbled as he turned back to face Buggy. His crew slowly began cheering for him and chant his name as the rest of us waited. A moment later Buggy licked one of his sabres, his eyes locked on Zoro's. Zoro then pulled out his swords and placed one in his mouth.

Buggy then let out a cackle as his coat flew back and he ran towards Zoro. Zoro held his ground and waited as Buggy jumped towards him. Zoro easily sliced him in half and Nami turned away as Buggy's crew gasped. His body seemed to just float there until Zoro sheathed his swords, then he dropped.

"That wasn't much of a fight, now was it." Zoro said as he looked back at Buggy.

"Oh, wow." Luffy awed. "He's weak. Wait to go Zoro."

"No way." Nami mumbled, in the same state of awe as Luffy. Suddenly Buggy's crew began to laugh and we all looked over.

"Something doesn't feel right." I muttered under my breath.

"Hey, why are they laughing?" Luffy asked as we all watched Buggy's crew laugh for some unknown reason.

"Their Captain is lying dead on the ground and yet they're still laughing? What's going on?" Nami questioned.

"A better question would be where's the blood." I added quietly as I watched the men. There hadn't been a single drop after Zoro sliced and diced Buggy.

"Fellas, what do you find so damn funny?" Zoro asked as he scowled at the men. I turned to look back at Buggy's body only to find him standing back up. His eyes looked dark and he appeared to be floating. Then out of nowhere Zoro let out a grunt and as I looked over at him I noticed a sabre sticking through his side, Buggy's detached arm holding it. Zoro dropped to his knees as his grunts of pain got worse.

"Zoro!" Luffy yelled and soon Nami was looking over too.

"Buggy's still alive!" Nami announced as she looked back.

"I knew something was off!" I yelled as I pointed at Buggy.

"What the hell?" Zoro grunted as the sabre pulled out.

"The Chop-Chop fruit." Buggy told us as his arm reattached. "That's the name of the devil fruit that's given me my powers." His torso then reattached to his legs and his leg back to his body. "I'm a Chop-Chop person and now I can never be defeated by the sword." Buggy finished with a cackle.

"His limbs re-attach? And I always thought that the devil fruits were just a story that pirates told." Nami said.

"What about me?" I questioned, looking over to her.

"Well, I believe you now." Nami added.

"I didn't hit any vital organs, but that's a serious wound you have there. So I'm guessing that I am the winner." Buggy declared once he had finished cackling. His crew continued to chant his name behind us. We needed to get out of here before anyone else got hurt. I reached up and placed pressure on my bleeding palm.

"Stabbing him in the back was a cowardly move, you big nose!" Luffy shouted at Buggy making everything go quiet. His crew had shut up and now they all had looks or astonishment and terror on their faces.

"What's that. You. Said?" Buggy panted. "Who's got a big nose!?" Buggy screamed. He sent an arm with the sabre out at Luffy.

"Luffy!" Zoro and I called.

"Buggy." Luffy said, his teeth biting down on the sabre. "I'm gonna kick your ass as soon as I get out of this cage." He then bit down, breakin the sabre as Buggy's arm went back to his body. Buggy then let out one of his cackle.

"You kick my ass? You've got a lot of nerve, kid. No, I'm afraid all four of you are going to die today. By my own hand. So if you're going to do any ass kicking you better do it soon." Buggy let out another cackle. His entire crew laughing along with them.

"We're done for. It's all over." Nami muttered as we both looked at our situation. That's when I noticed Luffy laughing along with Buggy.

"I refuse to die! Zoro get up!" Luffy yelled.

"You better have a really good plan or else we're all dead! So what are you guys gonna do?" Nami yelled at Luffy.

"Something crazy." I stated as Zoro and Luffy stared at each other.

"I gotcha." Zoro commented.

I stood my ground for a moment and glanced over to see that Nami didn't even look like she had a clue as to what was going on. After a second I noticed Buggy going after Zoro again, and Zoro was blocking every attack. Zoro then sliced Buggy in half, causing him to separate enough for him to jump through. He then took off running towards the cannon. He ducked under the front of it and began pushing on it. I quickly yanked Nami to the other end of the cannon as it flipped and pointed towards Buggy. Zoro collapsed under the effort.

"Crap! The cannon's pointed at us! No!" Buggy screamed along with his crew.

"Hurry, light it." Zoro ordered Nami from his position on the ground.

"Huh?" Nami questioned, still not catching on.

"Do it now!" Zoro replied.

"Right!" Nami agreed.

"Wait, just wait! The cannon's still loaded with a special Buggy Ball. I don't want to go out like this!" Buggy pleaded. I quickly took off towards Luffy's cage, hoping the other two had things covered. "I can't believe you just did that you ungrateful little girl." Buggy accused after Nami lit the fuse.

We all ducked down and waited. Luffy was in his cage laughing. Nami had covered her ears. Zoro stayed hunched on the ground. I ducked down beside the cage. Over everything Buggy could be heard protesting. Then the cannon fired.

* * *

**Done.**

**Hope you liked it!**

**I love to hear from you all.**

**REVIEW!**

**That's all for today.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	6. Chouchou and the Mayor

The cannon fired and the explosion seemed to do even more damage than the first one. As the explosion concluding, leaving plumes of smoke, Zoro got to work carrying Luffy away. I quickly caught up to him as he went over the edge of the roof, pulling the cage.

"You okay, Zoro?" Luffy asked from inside the cage. "How bad are you injured?"

"Just shut up and don't worry about how I'm doing. I need to concentrate if I'm gonna get us out of this." Zoro declared. He struggled and grunted as he pulled the cage.

"Wouldn't it be easier if we just broke the cage?" I suggested. Luffy turned to look at me, his face blank.

"Not now Takara. Zoro's trying to concentrate." Luffy ordered, placing a finger to his lips to tell me to be quiet. I crossed my arms and waited as Zoro struggled and Nami joined us.

"Who is this guy?" Nami mumbled as she watched Zoro. I shrugged and shook my head from the other side of the cage.

"Hey, Luffy." Zoro grunted out. "Who's this? Who's the girl?"

"Oh, right. She's our new navigator." Luffy answered. Zoro then let out another pained groan and it looked like his knees were about to buckle. I quickly ducked under the cage and took some of the weight, Zoro giving me a little bit of space.

"Let me give you a hand." I stated as I took in the weight.

"I'm not so sure about that. Who are you guys anyway?" Nami replied hesitantly.

"Move. You're in the way." Zoro ordered. I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or not, but I stepped away and he let out another pained grunt as he hoisted the cage onto his back. He then began walking down the roof with the cage. Once he was out of the way I moved over to stand next to Nami.

"I guess even a lowly pirate can still rescue his friend." Nami muttered as she watched Zoro.

"We do more than just tha-... Wait a minute, where are you going?" I was cut off as Nami turned and started walking the other direction. When she didn't answer I paused.

Do I follow her or follow Luffy? I looked between the two options before running after Zoro. Zoro had gotten the cage down to the street and had left it to sit in front of a pet food store. I got to them just as Zoro collapsed.

"What's with this dog?" Zoro asked. I looked up to see a small white dog sitting in front of the store. He had his tongue sticking out and he just sat there.

"Doggy!" Luffy awed as he turned around to face him. I moved around the cage and took a seat near the dog as Luffy rocked his cage closer to it. When he had finished moving the cage he started making faces at the dog only to receive no reaction.

"He looks kinda cute." I smiled as I reached forward and scratched the top of his. The dog didn't move, his eyes seeming to glare at Luffy. Zoro in this time had pushed himself up and walked over to lean against the front porch of the store.

"Zoro, it looks like this dog is frozen." Luffy stated.

"I don't give a damn. He can sit there forever for all I care." Zoro replied.

"What if one of Buggy's crew members shows up and starts attacking us and the dog out of revenge?" I asked.

"Then leave me alone until they get here." Zoro answered.

"I wonder if it's dead." Luffy said aloud as he reached out of the cage. He then poked the center of the dog's forehead until the dog launched forward and bit his nose. I jumped back at the sudden action and noticed Zoro's surprised face.

"WAHHHHHHH!" Luffy screamed as the dog growled and held onto Luffy's face. The cage began to jump as Luffy tried to shake the dog off.

"Luffy!" Zoro yelled. "Please quit goofing around and get serious."

Unsure what to do I waited. A moment later the dog had let go and Luffy had fallen onto his back in the cage. Zoro, after his yell, had collapsed and I think he was down for the count. The dog was back in his position a moment later watching.

"Damn, dog." Luffy mumbled as I reached over to it. It suddenly turned it's head to look at my hand and I jumped slightly. He then sniffed my hand and licked it once before standing back at attention.

"I dunno. I think he likes me." I said with a grin as I looked back over at Luffy.

"Figures." Luffy groaned.

"I don't feel good." Zoro commented. The stab wound was bleeding quite a lot. As I looked around for some kind of medical supply store I noticed Nami walking up to us. She stopped and looked over us.

"Oh, hi navigator." Luffy greeted from his position.

"I guess you can have this. You got me out of a pretty sticky situation." Nami said as she threw the key towards Luffy.

"Great. The key to the cage!" Luffy cheered as he sat up. "Did you go steal it for me? Thanks Nami."

"You actually said her name that time." I said as I leaned back against the porch. I then watched the dog step towards the key.

"I only did it so that we'd be even, and now I don't owe anything so we're square, okay?" Nami stated.

"Yeah, sure." Luffy agreed as he reached for the key. Before he could grab it the dog ate it. I snorted slightly before letting out a huge laugh. Everyone began glaring at the dog as I laughed. In seconds Luffy had grabbed the dog by the neck and was shaking him.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid dog. Give it back. That's not food!" Luffy yelled as he shook the dog. "Give me my key! Give it! Give it! Give it! Give it! Give it!"

"Hey! Stop that!" I stopped laughing and turned to see a man standing down the street. He had white hair, a pair of glasses, and looked battle ready."Stop picking on poor Chouchou! Leave him alone." The man ordered. Luffy stopped yelling as the dog barked at him a few more times.

"Who might you be old man?" Zoro grumbled.

"Old man? Why I'm the Mayor of this town. Who are you and why are you hurting Chouchou?" The man questioned. He stopped his declaration to look down at Zoro, noticing his wound and then the blood on my hands from my palm. "My, my. That's quite an injury you have there. I take it you had a run in with Captain Buggy. We need to get you to a doctor."

The Mayor then took Zoro over to a building nearby. I tagged along and made sure Zoro didn't collapse again. Once Zoro was asleep the Mayor helped we wash my hands and cover the large cut in my palm. The cuts in my wrists and arms weren't as much of a problem. I then followed the Mayor back out.

"How's Zoro?" Luffy asked once we got back over to him.

"I told him he really should see a doctor, but he insisted that he didn't need to and just wanted to sleep it off." The Mayor explained. I stood there for a moment before looking over at Chouchou as he yawned.

"So this dog's name is Chouchou?" Nami asked as she stroked his head. I stepped over and took a seat on the other side of Chouchou, opposite Nami.

"Why's he just sitting there like that?" Luffy asked with a slight laugh. "He sure is a lazy dog."

"He's guarding the store." The Mayor declared. I looked over my shoulder at the store.

"He's guarding it?" Nami wondered.

"Yes." The Mayor answered.

"Oh, it's a pet food shop." Nami continued.

"That sounds like Luffy as a dog." I commented earning a laugh from Luffy.

"That's right, and the man who use to run this store was a very close friend of mine." The Mayor said. He then walked into the store and came out a minute later with a bowl of food. "There ya go." I moved out of the way as he set it down in front of Chouchou. "When he passed I assumed the responsibility of taking care of Chouchou."

"He died?" Nami asked as I moved to sit beside her. I then reached forward and began petting Chouchou as he ate.

"Yes. Three months ago after fighting his illness for a very long time." The Mayor continued after he went back in to put the box of food away.

"Don't tell me he's been waiting for his master to return all this time." Nami wondered as the Mayor joined us back outside.

"That seems to be the consensus." The Mayor replied. He made sure to close the doors into the store before taking a seat on the edge of the porch. He then pulled out a pipe and lit it. "But I find that very hard to believe." The Mayor looked down at Chouchou as he continued to chow down. "Chouchou is a smart dog. He's probably known for awhile that his master isn't coming back." I backed away from Chouchou and pulled my knees to my chest as he finished eating.

"Then why does he stay here at the store?" Nami questioned.

"I guess because he has a connection to it. It's his… treasure. He's guarding it." The Mayor explained before taking a breath from his pipe. "His master left him with this shop and that's why he protects it. I've tried bringing him back to my place so he won't be out in the elements, but he won't take so much as a step away from here." Everyone waited in silence for a moment before Chouchou picked up his bowl and carried it to the Mayor. He set it down and then returned to his spot.

Not soon after that the street began to shake as something big sounded like it was walking towards us. A low roar bellowed from down the street. I pushed myself to my feet, Nami quickly following. We both turned and looked down the road.

"What that sound?" Nami asked. The Mayor suddenly jumped up and with a terrified expression he appeared between Nami and I.

"It's him! Beast Tamer Mohji. We gotta go! Run!" The Mayor yelled.

"What's going on?" I questioned.

"What do you mean by beast tamer?" Nami said as the footsteps got closer.

"Wait." I called as we both quickly took off after the Mayor as he continued to yell at us. We called for him to wait but he continued to run on ahead of us.

"Hold on." Nami added to no avail.

"What about Luffy?" I asked as I tried to catch up to the terrified Mayor.

"I'm sure he can handle himself." Nami replied as she caught up to me. Suddenly there was a loud crash, much different than the stomping. We all came to a stop and waited a moment.

"Come on!" The Mayor yelled as he took off once again, still in a panic.

"Wait up!" Nami yelled back as we tried to follow him. I quickly grabbed Nami's arm as I heard Luffy's voice. Together we walked around a few building to come across one that was completely demolished, Luffy sitting in its center and no longer in a cage.

"How did you survive that attack?" Nami questioned.

"You're alive?" The Mayor asked in astonishment as he walked into the same area.

"Just got lucky, I guess." Luffy replied.

"Or it's because you're rubber?" I suggested quietly.

"Or that." Luffy added, pointing a thumb towards me.

"Surviving an attack like that isn't normal. I figured you'd be scattered all over." Nami declared.

"It's not normal?" Luffy said as he stood up.

"Why exactly did you decide to come to this town? And how'd you get involved with those pirates?" The Mayor questioned.

"All I'm doing is searching for a chart of the Grand Line and a good navigator to join my pirate crew." Luffy explained as he started walking away. "I think that guy in the animal suit said he was looking for Zoro, so I gotta go." Luffy called back as he started running.

"Come on, let's go." I said, nodding towards where Luffy went. Before I could walk away Nami grabbed my wrist.

"What if we didn't and say we did?" Nami suggested, a fake smile across her lips.

"What about Chouchou?" I declared sternly, catching Nami's attention. We stood there for a moment or eyes locked together.

There were several crashes and I then I smelled smoke. We both turned and looked up to see smoke not to far away and we took off running. By the time we got there it was too late. The pet food store was gone, in a pile of burned debris. Chouchou sat looking at it and he seemed pretty beat up.

"Pirates are all the same. They're all just a bunch of heartless bastards. They destroy anything that people hold dear without giving it a second thought." Nami stated. I looked over at her for a moment before noticing Luffy walk into the area. "Oh, you're alive pirate! Y'know I thought for sure that lion was going to tear your head off and end it all, and I wish he had cause then there would be one less pirate in the world. Maybe I should kill you right now before you can gather a crew and destroy everything else." Nami took off running towards Luffy and I quickly stopped her as the Mayor did the same.

"Now, now. There's no need for violence." The Mayor grunted as he tried to restrain Nami.

"As if you could ever kill me." Luffy declared.

"Well, maybe, I'll try it and see!" Nami cried out. Nami launched forward slightly and I quickly grabbed her left arm and twisted it so that it was pressed against her back. The Mayor let go as Nami glared back at me. "Maybe I'll do the same to you." Nami said as I kept my face blank.

"I said stop. What's with you people?" The Mayor questioned as we watched Luffy. Luffy walked up to Chouchou and set what must have been the last box from the store in front of the dog.

"Not all pirates are heartless." I whispered to Nami as she stopped struggling and looked at Luffy stunned along with the Mayor. I then let go and walked over to join Luffy as he sat next to Chouchou. I took the other side of Chouchou. Luffy sighed and smiled down at the dog.

"Sorry, but that's all I could save for ya." Luffy explained as I reached over and stroked the dog's head. "That bastard lion ate all the rest of it… You fought well. 'Course I didn't actually see you defend the store, but I can tell you gave it your all." Luffy and I watched as Chouchou bit the top of the box of food and carried it away, stopping not too far to bark back at Luffy. "Thanks. Good luck to you too, Doggy." Luffy grinned. Chouchou parked several more times before picking his box back up and leaving. I glanced back at Nami to see her smiling.

"Sorry about earlier." Nami said after a few minutes of silence. "I didn't mean to yell at you." Luffy turned and smiled up at her.

"That's okay. You've been under a lot of stress lately." Luffy replied as he stood back up. He offered a hand down and pulled me up to my feet next to him. "But hey, no need to apologize."

"I'm pathetic. Chouchou and this young one have fought so hard and yet I, the Mayor, have done nothing but sit back and watch our town be obliterated by Buggy and his despicable crew." The Mayor suddenly announced. We all quickly ran over to see what he was going on about.

"Calm down. It's not that bad." Nami tried to reassure the Mayor.

"Forty years ago this whole area was nothing but barren, rugged land. We all worked together to create fields for our crops. We opened stores and built everything from the ground up. This town is a treasure to me and all it's citizens. From here on out I refuse to let Buggy and his crew terrorize us anymore!" The Mayor declared. Not even a second after we watched as what must have been another Buggy Ball went off, destroying more of the town. It was honestly way more scary when you were in town and not next to the cannon itself. "He'll destroy it all." The Mayor mumbled as he looked down at the ground.

"Oh no!" I shouted, noticing how close to the blast zone we were.

"AHHHHH! Zoro was sleeping in there!" Luffy yelled as we looked at the newly destroyed stripe of town.

"I'm sure he's dead now." The Mayor grumbled.

"Zoro? You in there? Are you still alive?" Luffy asked in a panic.

"That was one hell of a way to wake a guy up." I heard someone mumble. This caused Luffy to begin laughing. "I could have used a few more Zs." Zoro complained.

"How did you survive that blast?" Nami questioned.

"I was wondering the same thing." I mumbled under my breath.

"Oh, right! You're alive!" Luffy cheered.

"I refuse to let him get away with this. I won't stand for it. I can't let this scumbag destroy all that townspeople have worked for this last forty years." The Mayor declared. "I am the Mayor of this town. I will protect it and it's inhabitants. I swear! To my dying breath!" The Mayor then started to leave, but Nami quickly caught him.

"Stop. You can't defeat Buggy." Nami announced.

"Perhaps, but there are some fights that a man can't run from." The Mayor continued. Nami struggled to keep him back. "Isn't that right?"

"That's right, Old Man." Luffy replied.

"Shut up! Don't egg him on Luffy. It's dangerous for him to fight Buggy." Nami yelled as she pulled the Mayor back.

"It'd be dangerous not to fight him either." I commented just loud enough for Luffy to hear.

"I know it's dangerous!" The Mayor shouted. Nami let go in shock and in seconds the Mayor was running off. "I'm coming for you, Buggy the Clown!"

"The Mayor was crying." Nami told us.

"He was?" Luffy asked before shrugging. "I didn't notice."

"That's a little insensitive, don't you think?" I mentioned to Luffy, but only getting another shrug.  
"Looks like the party is getting more exciting." Zoro stated as he got up.

"Sure does." Luffy laughed.

"This is no time for laughter." Nami said, her voice panicked.

"Don't worry." Luffy began as he turned to Nami. "I started to grow fond of that Old Man. There's no way I'd let him die." Luffy grinned.

"Well in that case." Zoro said as he joined us.

"You're gonna go too?" Nami questioned Zoro. "You're wounded."

"You also got hit by a Buggy Ball." I added as he tied on his bandana.

"Yeah, so what? The injury to my reputation's a lot worse than the injury to my gut." Zoro declared.

"Well, if we want to get to the Grand Line we better go steal that chart back." Luffy stated.

"Sounds like a plan." I said as I crossed my arms.

"Are you gonna join our crew or what? Huh?" Luffy asked, turning to face Nami. "Come on." Luffy stuck his hand out towards Nami.

"I'd never sink so low as to become a pirate." Nami stated before swinging her hand forward to slap Luffy's hand. "But I suppose we could team up, in order to achieve our common goal." Luffy smiled and started laughing like he usually did.

Together the four of us made our way through the streets after the Mayor. Upon arriving we found the Mayor being lifted off the ground, Buggy's right hand around his neck. Luffy moved first. He pulled the hand off the Mayor and set him back on the ground, holding the two apart. The Mayor dropped to his knees and his head fell back, but Luffy kept him up.

"That straw hat! Not again!" Buggy exclaimed.

"I'm here to kick your ass. Just like I promised I would, Buggy." Luffy stated.

* * *

**Here ya go.**

**New day, new chapter.**

**REVIEW!**

**Tell me what you think, and if anything's confusing PM me.**

**That's all.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	7. Takara's Strength

"I'm here to kick your ass. Just like I promised I would, Buggy." Luffy stated. Luffy held Buggy's hand and the Mayor apart. The Mayor was on his knees and with his head back, but Luffy kept him up. Buggy tried to pull his hand back, but struggled and couldn't get it. Luffy laughed slightly before letting it fly back to Buggy.

"Damn you, Straw Hat." Buggy yelled as Luffy let the Mayor go. Zoro, Nami, and I then walked up and stood around Luffy and the Mayor. "How dare you. You can't just waltz up to me and treat me like this." Buggy growled. "I'm Captain Buggy and I won't stand for it!"

"Listen to me. All I want is the chart and the treasure then I'm out of here. You got it?" Nami declared.

"Sounds good." I mumbled.

"Yeah, I got it." Zoro replied.

"Get out of here." The Mayor ordered, his voice hoarse. "Why'd you follow me? You're outsiders, leave this to me." He let out a groan as he attempted to pull himself back together after what Buggy did. "This is my fight that I need to be the one to protect my town." The Mayor then stood up, grabbed his staff that had a blade on the end. "Buggy is my fight!" We then watched as Luffy grabbed the Mayor by the back of the head and rammed him into a wall, knocking him unconscious.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Nami questioned, her face turning angry as she glared at Luffy. "Why'd you knock out the Mayor?"

"Because." Luffy answered.

"That's such a wonderful reason Luffy." I commented sarcastically, placing my hands on my hips.

"Thank you!" Luffy said as he grinned.

"It's not a bad idea." Zoro began. "If the Old Man had continued to fight he would have died. It's for the best."

"You're probably right." I agreed.

"You didn't have to hit him! I'm sure we could have thought of a more humane way to deal with the situation!" Nami yelled at Luffy. Without saying anything Luffy then walked away from our group and towards the base of Buggy's building.

"Here goes." Luffy declared before inhaling a lot of air. "BIG NOSE!" Luffy then yelled, Buggy and his crew suddenly looking shocked.

"That's the worst thing you could have said to him." Nami stated.

"Why do you think he said it." I laughed.

"You damn flashy idiot. I won't stand for this." Buggy growled as he looked like he was seething. "Take aim and fire the Buggy Ball!" Buggy yelled to his crew. The cannon was then aimed down at us, everyone but Luffy and I tensing up.

"Why'd you have to say that?" Nami asked before she took off running

"Come on Luffy. We gotta go." Zoro added.

"You go ahead." Luffy ordered, standing his ground.

"Time to die!" Buggy announced.

"I'm fine. Just watch." Luffy told us. I quickly grabbed Zoro's arm and pulled him off to the side of Luffy as the cannon was fired. "Gum-Gum Balloon!"

Luffy suddenly grew huge in size, his stomach filling with air as he got bigger. The Buggy Ball then hit his balloon like stomach. As he flew back a bit everyone seemed stunned or in shock. Buggy's crew especially. The Buggy Ball then launched off of Luffy and flew towards Buggy and his crew, everyone on the roof beginning to panic.

"He could have warned us." Zoro groaned, placing a hand to his forehead.

"Not his style." I shrugged. The Buggy ball hit and a large plume of smoke and dust went up.

"Alright, I got 'em." Luffy grinned at his accomplishment.

"What the hell kind of monster are you?" Nami shouted angrily.

"I think you freaked her out." Zoro commented.

"I'd say so." I smiled as I looked over at Nami kneeling on the ground. As the dust and smoke cleared, they revealed a now vacant area where a building had previously been. Only debris, rubble, and bodies remained.

"I knew that something was weird after you survived the fight with that lion." Nami shouted as she stood up to face Luffy. "No human being can do what you do. Now explain yourself. What the hell was the balloon inflate-y thing that you did?"

"That was the Gum-Gum Balloon." Luffy explained.

"I don't care what you call it just tell me how you did it! What are ya? Some kind of freak?" Nami continued.

"Yes. Yes, he is." I said jokingly.

"Hey!" Luffy said as he turned towards me with a pout.

"I am too though, so we're fine." I grinned, getting a small laugh from Luffy. There was a large groan from the debris before us and we all turned to see Buggy climbing out of the mess.

"How dare you try to flashily do me in." Buggy growled. He held up two very injured looking men in front of him, but his arms stayed crossed against his chest. He then dropped the bodies and left his hands to float in the air.

"Unreal. Using his men as a shield." Nami scoffed.

"Is anyone else creeped out by the fact that he keeps coming back to life?" I asked. I looked to Nami who nodded slightly. There was another small crash as what looked to be another living person popped his head out of the rubble.

"What in the world just happened here?" The man questioned as he stood up. Not only did he have normal ears but it looked like he had a second set of lion ears on the top of his head. He then had a large patch of hair that he wore like a shirt around the top part of his torso, revealing his abdomen. He looked around frantically before seeing our group. He must have been the Beast Tamer Mohji, I mean he at least looked the part. "No! It's you!" Mohji accused, his eyes on Luffy.

"Hi." Luffy waved.

"AAAHHH! IT'S THE DAMN STRAW HAT! AAAHHH!" Mohji screamed as he threw his arms around above his head. He then jumped forward towards Buggy. "Captain Buggy! We have to be careful! He has devil fruit powers too. He's a rubber person! I saw it myself!"

"He totally just ruined your reveal." I said as I shook my head.

"Rubber person?" Nami asked. I looked over just in time to see Luffy reach for his cheeks.

"Yeah." Luffy answered as he grabbed his cheeks and pulled his cheeks out. Nami gasped and covered her mouth.

"That's what your face looked like when you found out." I mumbled to Zoro as I nudged his arms. He then looked down at me, giving me a look. I quickly stepped back and held up my hands in defense. There was more crunching as a large portion of the debris was pushed up, revealing a giant white lion. Behind the lion was a man who held the lion in front of him.

"How do you plan to respond to this incident, Captain?" The new man asked.

"Oh, Cabaji. I don't know, I'm too angry to even fought." Buggy replied.

"Put him down, Cabaji." Mohji yelled. "What the hell did you do to my Richie?"

"This cat? I used it as a shield to keep my clothes from getting dirty." Cabaji stated as he dropped the lion.  
"Richie!" Mohji exclaimed, quickly moving to the lion's side. "No, Richie. Say something please. Richie!" Mohji pleaded as the lion panted.

"Why is this crew so creepy?" I asked Nami quietly. We watched as the lion jumped away from Cabaji and hid. Seconds later Mohji jumped at Cabaji, throwing a punch at him that he easily dodged.

"No idea…" Nami mumbled quietly. Cabaji then kicked Mohji away and he came flying towards us.

"Outta my way!" Mohji called as his body flew towards Luffy.

"How about… Outta MY way." Luffy replied as he kicked Mohji towards Nami and I. We quickly stepped out of the way as Mohji flew past and collided with the wall, creating a small crater before he dropped to the ground.

"Nice." I mumbled, looking at the circular crater.

"I know, right?" Luffy grinned. As we turned back to the fight, Cabaji was jumping over Buggy with a unicycle under him. Once he landed he began riding towards us with a sword drawn.

"You may call me Acrobat Cabaji, Captain Buggy's chief of staff." Cabaji declared as he pedaled down the street to us rather quickly. "You will pay for your insolence." His sword was aimed at Luffy, but before he could reach him Zoro stepped in the way, stopping Cabaji's sword with his own.

"I'll clash swords with you." Zoro stated.

"It's an honor. Roronoa Zoro." Cabaji replied. "As a swordsman myself, I relish this chance to slay you."

"Hey Zoro, you really should get some rest." Luffy requested. "Let me handle this guy."

"Just stay back." Zoro ordered.

"Arsonist technique!" Cabaji yelled. He pulled down his scarf and spewed fire into Zoro's face. With Zoro distracted he then swung his foot around and hit Zoro's injured side. Zoro cried out in pain as he was knocked over.

"What's wrong?" Cabaji questioned. "I didn't kick you that hard now, did I?"

"He fights dirty. Going after his injury like that." Nami accused.

"He used that lion to protect his clothes. What did you expect?" I pointed out. Cabaji stabbed his sword into the ground as he continued.

"Acrobat Technique: Murder at the steam bath." Cabaji announced. He then began swirling his sword, picking up loads of dust and blowing it up.

We watched as Zoro disappeared in the dust. Seconds later the dust cleared to reveal Zoro blocking Cabaji's attack. He then swung his foot forward and it collided with Zoro's side again. Zoro cried out again as he was forced away. Luffy grabbed my shoulder as I stepped forward.

"He did it again." Nami exclaimed.

"What's this?" Cabaji asked. "It's such a disgraceful sight to see a grown man moaning. I suppose now you can see how foolish it was to make an enemy of the Buggy Pirates." Cabaji announced as he kept his balance on the unicycle.

"To keep fighting with such a bad injury… He's crazy." Nami mumbled. "He's hurt so bad, I don't know how he's managing to stay in the fight." Nami paused before turning on Luffy. "Why are you just standing there watching him! He's gonna get himself killed y'know!" Nami yelled.

"He's a swordsman and it's his fight." I replied quietly.

"Roronoa Zoro… is finished!" Cabaji declared as he went after Zoro again.

"You annoying little bastard." Zoro grunted as he stood back up. "You having fun poking at my wound? Then go ahead." Zoro told Cabaji, his eyes narrowed and swords at the ready. We then watched as Zoro allowed Cabaji to stab his side again as he rode past.

"Why didn't you dodge his attack?" Nami questioned as Zoro stood his ground.

"Is that enough of a handicap for ya?" Zoro asked. "And now let me show you just how superior my skills are to yours." Zoro then turned to face Cabaji as he placed his third sword in his mouth.

"Yeah! Zoro! Get him!" Luffy cheered.

"You can do this!" I cheered as well.

"You fool. You've made a vast error in your judgements." Cabaji stated. "I won't be mocked."

"My swords aim to be the world's greatest. I refuse to lose even once to anyone who calls himself a swordsman." Zoro declared

"I see. A strong resolve keeps you going, but have no fear. Wounds as bad as yours will be more than enough of an excuse… For losing to me." Cabaji answered as he held his sword up.

"To hell with that." Zoro grunted. "If I lose to someone like you, even with these minimal injuries, then I don't have a very bright future ahead of me, do I?" Zoro then reached up and placed his sword in his mouth.

"Why you!" Cabaji growled.

"Alright! Yeah!" Luffy cheered.

"I won't stay and watch this." Nami stated out of the blue. "You pirates can stand around for the rest of time and kill each other for all I care." Nami continued as she walked away. "I mean it doesn't matter to me wether you guys win or lose. I'm gonna take this opportunity to swipe their treasure and get outta here." Nami stopped next to an alley and turned to face us. "Maybe we can team up again if we ever get the chance. See ya." Nami then ran off down the alley. "Good luck with the fight!"

"Ya thanks! See ya." Luffy waved.

"I'm gonna go after her." I stated, moving to follow her. "Good luck." I added before taking off after Nami. I followed Nami around a corner before she came to a stop.

"They're not normal. Both Luffy and Zoro are completely crazy." Nami said as she glanced back.

"I'm not normal either." I pointed out as I caught up.

"Yes, but you aren't crazy like them. You give off a feeling of comfort and control." She stated.

"My father told me the same thing once." I said with a light laugh.

"Well, if I join up with them I can tell that nothing good will come of it." Nami told me.

"Adventure would be a good thing to come of it." I replied. Nami looked at me for a second before continuing to walk away from the fight. I moved to do the same.

We peaked around the corner to see Buggy standing and watching the fight. Together we then lifted debris that blocked a set of stairs. With the path clear we quietly walked down the stairs and past one of Buggy's men.

"Here we are." Nami proclaimed quietly as we reached a locked door. She bent down and picked up a rod. "Now I steal their treasure and their chart and get the hell outta here." She then swung the small rod down on the lock and it broke.

We quickly entered the room and were dropped into darkness as Nami closed the door. We found a lamp and a way to light it. Once it was lit we looked around the room to find a shining pile of treasure.

"Hohohoho." Nami awed at the shining gold. "Look at all this stuff." Nami stepped forward and bent down to pick up two handfuls of gold coins, a pair of necklaces catching on her fingers. "And every last bit of it is mine."

"You sure know what you want." I joked as I dug to find a bag. I glanced over to see Nami place a crown on her head. I was about to laugh when a sword came down between us.

"What do you two think you're doing with our treasure?" We both stood up and turned to see one of Buggy's men with his sword aimed at us. As Nami stood the crown fell off. "By order of Captain Buggy, anyone who gets near the treasure will…" The man stammered as he came into the light. He had a tint to his cheeks and seemed wobbly. "Uh…" The man stopped again as he looked at his bottle. "Well there should be more in there." The man groaned as he looked at the bottom of his empty bottle. While he was distracted I moved away into the shadows and inched behind him.

"Oh, it hurts!" Nami cried, crouching and holding her chest. The action got the man's attention and allowed me to disappear.

"Hey, you alright?" The man asked.

"My chest just started hurting real bad." Nami continued. I moved to the far corner by the door and started looking for something heavy.

"What? Your chest?" The man questioned. I caught Nami moving to reveal her chest more causing the man to drool. I quickly picked up a heavy case and hit the man's head from behind. The man staggered and fell back as Nami had jumped up and pulled out her rod. I quickly dropped the case as Nami held her staff to my nose.

"I could have handled that on my own." Nami declared as she put her staff away.

"Yes, but I was here to help." I explained. "It's called teamwork."

"I work better alone." Nami stated as she bent down and tore a string of keys off the man's neck.

"Maybe that should change." I suggested as she walked across the room to one of the chests. She used one of the keys and unlocked it. She flipped the lid open to find the chart.

"Yes! The chart of the Grand Line." Nami announced as she pulled the paper out and unrolled it in front of her.

"Good, now let's pack up and get out." I ordered as Nami rolled the chart back up.

We then got to work. I found a bag and then together we started filling it with everything we could find. The coins, jewelry, crowns, everything. Hauling the bag up the stairs and too her boat was gonna be the hard part. It didn't take us quite a bit too get it out of the basement, but after that it seemed straight forward.

"I scored an impressive haul from the Buggy Pirates, but hauling treasure is tiring." Nami panted as she took a seat on the bag for a break. I moved to lean against the wall seeing as how we seemed in the clear. "I guess it's worth the effort though."

"We don't even have it to your boat yet." I scoffed before smirking.

"Anyway, I gotta find a way off this island A-S-A-P." Nami declared. She jumped off the bag and moved to start pulling it again. I moved back to pushing it from the opposite side.

"Now that's a plan." I stated, only to have Nami stop before she started pulling.

"What about your crew members?" Nami questioned.

"Luffy and Zoro are strong enough to handle themselves." I replied.

Nami nodded in response. We then began moving the bag again. It wasn't long before we came across the road Luffy, Zoro, Buggy, and Cabaji had been one. Nami paused to take a breather as we looked at the newly unfolding scene. Both Cabaji and Zoro were laying on the road. Luffy had his arm swung back to attack. Buggy was getting ready to attack as well. Four sabres were held in each of his hands between his fingers, another blade poked out of his shoe.

Buggy yelled out his attack, his legs came off and spun towards Luffy with the blades coming out of his feet. Luffy quickly jumped out of the way, easily dodging the blades. Buggy then threw his sabres at Luffy who was stuck in midair. Luffy in turn stretched out for a nearby post that pulled him out of the way of the sabres. Luffy then landed as Buggy's legs came back.

"How interesting." Buggy cackled as the two waited for the next move.

"You're not so bad either." Luffy smiled. "But here comes, Gum-Gum Pistol!" Luffy shouted as his fist shot out to punch Buggy. Buggy moved out of the way and Luffy's arm flew past.

"They're neat abilities alright, but they leave you wide open." Buggy declared as he pulled out another sabre. Luffy's arm continued to stretch until he grabbed a nearby tree. "I'll carve you up!"

"Gum-Gum… Sickle!" Luffy yelled as he flew past Buggy, his arm retracting. Except, the arm he held out to attack Buggy missed as Buggy's head floated off. His head cackled as Luffy crashed into the debris behind the tree.

"Not good enough, Gum-Gum." Buggy stated after his head reattached. Luffy quickly jumped out of the debris with his arms out in the air.

"Damn. You keep breaking into pieces." Luffy complained as he put his hat back on. Buggy cackled as he pulled out more sabres.

"What? There still going at it?" Nami questioned. "I can't believe these guys."

"They look stuck." I commented, noticing that neither seemed to be doing damage.

Buggy launched his hand off like a cannon, aimed at Luffy. Luffy managed to catch it just before it hit him. Buggy then had them separate, the hand breaking apart and shooting out of Luffy's hands. Buggy then let out a wicked cackled as he watched Luffy fall.

"So runt, you wanna give up yet?" Buggy asked with a grin that slowly turned into a scowl.

"You bastard!" Luffy shouted. He was sitting in the rubble with cuts on his face. He held my his hat in his hands and glared at Buggy.

"How's that?" Buggy continued. "Was I not supposed to scratch your face or something?"

"Bastard. Nothing damages my lucky hat and gets away from it." Luffy growled, staring down at the hat. "This hat is my only treasure, and anyone who so much as lays a finger on it is gonna pay!" Luffy shouted.

"That's not good." I whispered to myself.

"And I didn't think there was anything that could faze him, but look at him." Nami mumbled. "He's getting so upset about a hat."

"It's not just a hat." I told Nami as we turned to look back at the fight.

"Hmm, it seems that hat has a history to it." Buggy began.

"That's right." Luffy stated.

"Is it really all that special?" Buggy asked. Suddenly Buggy's hand flew up out of the debris with the four sabres. It launched off one and Luffy barely managed to dodge it as it passed. "If that's the case, you should protect it!" Buggy's hand then launched forward and caught the hat, three sabres cutting into the top of it as it was yanked from Luffy.

"Oh no." My hand flew to my mouth as Luffy fell forward trying to grab the hat. He dropped onto his stomach as the hand flew back to Buggy and reattached itself.

"How is this old tattered hat a treasure?" Buggy asked as he looked over the hat. He then let out a cackle. "Treasure refers to sparkling gold, silver, and jewels and all those things reflect their owners grandeur. You really consider this worthless, dirty, straw hat a treasure? You need to grow up, boy." Buggy said before letting out another cackle.

"Shut up." Luffy ordered. "When Shanks gave me that I made a promise."

"What?" Buggy paused and looked over at the hat. "So you're telling me that this use to be Shanks' hat?" Buggy threw his hand downward, the hat falling off the sabres and onto the ground. "No wonder it looked so familiar. He always wore it when I knew him." My jaw dropped at Buggy's statement. This freaky clown knew my father? Why hadn't I heard about him?

"So you and Shanks were members of the sam pirate crew?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah, back when we were pirates in training. We were fellow comrades. That damn, detestable, red haired, bastard." As Buggy finished he stepped forward and onto the straw hat.

"Shanks is a much better man than you'll ever be!" Luffy growled as he ran towards Buggy. "You don't have the right to call him comrade. Don't you ever bad mouth him again!" As Luffy got closer he swung his arm back.

"Time for my Chop-Chop Quick Escape." Buggy yelled as his head flew off. His body then took the full brunt force of Luffy's attack and fell to the ground along with his head.

"I don't want you to ever mention Shanks' name to me again, you bastard." Luffy ordered as he stood over Buggy. Buggy's head reattached and he coughed a few times.

"I can say whatever the hell I want about Shanks." Buggy coughed out. A moment later Luffy grabbed both of his cheeks and pulled them apart.

"Tell me what happened between you and Shanks, and where can I find him now." Luffy continued to order as he pulled at Buggy's cheeks. "Dammit." Luffy grumbled as he dropped Buggy. "How dare you tear up my treasured straw hat."

"Do you really wanna know?" Buggy asked as he sat up. "He's the one person that I loathe. I'll curse his name for the rest of my life. As long as there's breath in my body Shanks, I will never forgive you." Buggy stated before beginning.

"Nami, they're busy with each other so why don't we get going?" I suggested as Buggy went on to tell Luffy his story.

"Don't you want to hear the story?" Nami asked.

"Yes, or we could get your bag to the ship while they're distracted." I stated. Nami quickly nodded.

"You're right." Nami replied.

"Okay, which way?" I questioned as I looked down the road towards Buggy.

"Good question… Uhm… Straight through?" Nami answered hesitantly. She slowly began lifting the bag up and over her shoulder.

"That's a horrible idea." I whisper yelled.

"You said they were distracted." Nami declared.

"Yes, but not that distracted." I explained.

"I'm going for it." Nami stated.

"Nami no." I failed to grab Nami's arm as she walked out into the open.

"Get back here you thief!" Buggy yelled as his upper half flew towards Nami with his sabres out. Both Buggy and Nami screamed as Nami came to a stop. I quickly ran out and began pushing Nami forward.

"Dammit! He spotted me!" Nami exclaimed.

"I told you not to!" I shouted as Nami caught herself and started running with me.

"Too late for that now." Nami told me.

"You don't stand a chance at escaping from me!" Buggy yelled as he flew after us, slowly catching up. "Now, I'm going to flashily chop you up!" As Buggy finished, Nami began screaming again.

Seconds later we all stopped. Nami and I stopped knowing that Buggy would reach us no matter what. Buggy had stopped as well, floating in the air mere inches from us. His face had a huge, open mouthed, smile except he didn't look happy and he didn't move. At the other end of the street Luffy stood next to Buggy's lower half. Luffy's foot was currently in between Buggy's legs. A moment later Buggy's upper half dropped to the ground.

"Ow-... My balls. My balls. That was a cheap shot." Buggy cried weakly. I quickly grabbed Nami's arm and pulled her to took several steps away from Buggy with me.

"Don't run off yet. We're not done." Luffy stated with a grin. "Hey!" Luffy continued, catching our attention. "You better drop that treasure and get outta here Nami. You don't want him coming after you again. You get outta here too Takara." Luffy ordered.

"No." Nami declared. "Drop the money and go? No way! Why should I leave my treasure behind?"  
"Because if you don't he'll catch you." I answered, earning a glare.

"Did you just call it 'your' treasure?" Buggy questioned as his hand latched onto my ankle and he looked up at us.

"Get off!" I yelled as I tried to pull my ankle away.

"That's right. You heard me. I'm a thief who steals from pirates and I just stole a lot of treasure from a really annoying one." Nami replied. "So that makes this my treasure now, understand?"

"Ah, that makes sense." Luffy commented.

"I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't anger the man holding my ankle." I growled privately to Nami.

"That's pure nonsense. That's my treasure and just because you stole it from me doesn't make it yours, you dirty, sneaky, thief." Buggy yelled, his grip tightening. "Honestly. What did your parents teach you?"

"A criminal trying to lecture another criminal? Ridiculous." Nami scoffed.

"You're one to talk." I mumbled.

"What's that?" Buggy fumed.

"Whatever. The day I take a morality lesson from you is the day I stop being a thief." Nami replied before sticking her tongue out.

"You're gonna be the death of me." I stated to myself more than anyone else as I looked over Nami.

"I hope your ready for the consequences. Now here comes CHOP-CHOP FESTIVAL!" Buggy yelled. Suddenly his upper and lower half split into over a dozen smaller parts. His head staying separate, his coat somehow staying with it. His hand suddenly released from my ankle and pulled out a sabre. The parts of his lower half then blew past Luffy towards us as Buggy cackled. "I'd like to see you try and save your friends from me now, Gum-Gum."

"Let's go." I whispered, pushing Nami again as Buggy was turned away. Nami moved the bag to her arms as we slowly tried to walk away.

"Girls." Buggy sang creepily as he turned back towards us. "GIVE ME BACK MY TREASURE!" Buggy yelled. We took off running as Buggy flew after us in pieces.

"No way!" Nami yelled back as she clutched onto the bag.

Nami and I screamed as we continued to run while Buggy let out a cackle, his jaw opening wide as he laughed. A second later his teeth had snapped shut, but his lips pulled out. This time he let out grunts of pain. Our screams grew louder as Buggy joined in. This time his eyes bulged out and his mouth opened wide again.

"Dammit! Knock it off." Buggy called as he stopped and turned back to Luffy.

"Duck." Nami whispered. I turned to see her grab the bag of treasure by the tied end. "No, you knock it off." Nami told Buggy as she swung her bag of treasure around to hit Buggy. For a moment it looked like it hit him square in the face. Buggy then laughed slightly as I noticed that his hands were now on the bag.

"Thanks for giving my treasure back, Nami." Buggy smiled. Nami noticed the hands as well and began pulling and shaking the bag upside down.

"Let go." Nami ordered as I took a couple steps back. My heel then caught on something and I crashed to the ground.

"You let go." Buggy retorted. As Nami continued to shake the bag. "This is my treasure so get your grubby hands off it. Just give me back my treasure."

"No, let go of it!" Nami yelled

"They're equally insane." I mumbled. I could hear footsteps as Luffy took off running towards us. In almost the same second Buggy let go of the bag and aimed his two hands at Nami, their sabres pulled out. Nami screamed as I pushed myself up and launched towards the hands.

"I told you. You haven't finished dealing with me yet!" Luffy announced.

Before I could get to Nami, Luffy got to Buggy. He jumped up and kicked Buggy's face into the bag of treasure, past Nami, and into the ground. Nami stumbled back onto the ground to dodge as I skidded to a stop. The bag ripped open and began spilling treasure across the street as Buggy's head slid across the rocks. All the way up until they hit a wall. Seconds later all of Buggy's body parts began dropping to the ground.

"Consider that finishing move a little gift from the Old Mayor Guy." Luffy declared as he landed. I stepped forward and reached down a hand to Nami as she gaped at Luffy.

"Thanks a lot." Nami said as she took my hand. I wasn't quite sure if she was thanking me or Luffy. "I owe you one."

"Sure, no problem." Luffy stated.

"I feel like we forgot about something." I mumbled as I looked over the battle torn street.

"Oh, yeah. The map." Luffy said.

"My treasure." Nami added at the same time as Luffy.

"This isn't over yet, Gum-Gum!" Buggy declared as his head, and coat flew up.

"He's still alive." Luffy announced.

"Shut up." Buggy yelled. "How dare you flashily do this to me!" I looked over my shoulder to see Nami running off in the other direction. "You'll pay for this. ASSEMBLE CHOP-CHOP PARTS!" When Buggy's parts came back together he only had his hands, head, and feet. I looked around quickly to catch Nami standing on the pile of Buggy parts, a rope holding them all together.

"Looking for these, Buggy?" Nami asked.

"Gah! My parts!" Buggy whined as Luffy laughed and I snickered.

"Alright! Way to go thief!" Luffy yelled as he swung his arms back.

"Stop it now!" Buggy ordered.

"See ya Buggy." Luffy continued. "Now, Gum-Gum Bazooka!" Luffy's arms flew forward towards Buggy. Upon connecting they launched Buggy up and away. "I win!" Luffy laughed after Buggy was gone. As he celebrated I wandered back down the street to where his hat sat. I picked it up off the ground and dusted it off a bit.

"Sorry your hat's all torn up." Nami said as Luffy walked over to me. She had two bags full of treasure in each hand.

"Nothing I can't fix." I reassured Luffy as I passed it to him with a smile.

"Don't worry." Luffy grinned as he put it on. "I can still put it on, and I got Buggy outta here so I'm satisfied for now."

"When I have time I'll help fix it up for you, if you like." I heard Nami mumble.

"What's that?" Luffy asked, looking over his shoulder to Nami.

"Oh, forget it." Nami said as she looked away. I held back a snicker as Nami continued. "I split this into two bags so give me a hand and carry half of it. It's too heavy for me." Nami held up one of the two bags.

"I can get Zoro." I offered.

"That sure is a lot." Luffy commented.

"If anything, that clown Buggy knew quality treasure when he saw it and now it's all mine." Nami stated as she held them up to her face. "I bet I can sell this for at least 10 million beli." Nami then stepped over to us, set the bags down and pulled out the map. She reached out and offered it to Luffy. "Here you go, it's the chart to the Grand Line. You do want it don't you?"

"You're giving it to me?" Luffy asked.

"Because you saved my life." Nami replied, turning her head away.

"Hah! Thanks Nami!" Luffy grinned as he took the chart. "Now I finally have it. A map of the Grand Line. Hurray!" Luffy cheered. "Oh, does this also mean you'll be joining me and my pirate crew?"

"I told you, no matter what, I'll never join a pirate crew." Nami declared as she placed her hands on her hips. "But okay."

"Sounds like an adventure." I stated as I walked away towards where Zoro lay on the street.

"Hanging around with you seems profitable enough." Nami continued. "Just remember this: I'm only joining you cause it's in my interest."

"Sure." Luffy grinned.

"Come on big guy." I said as I bent down to pick up Zoro's swords and bandana.

"Hey, Zoro. Wake up." Luffy called as he walked over. "Zoro… We're leaving." Luffy sang as he bent down and began hitting the side of Zoro's head.

"Don't hit him." I declared, stopping Luffy's hand as Zoro grunted.

"Did we take care of everything?" Zoro asked as he sat up. His hand moved to hold his head.

"Yeah, and we got a navigator and we got a chart of the Grand Line." Luffy replied. Zoro turned to look at Nami, his eyes nearly glaring.

"I'm not sure about this." Zoro groaned as he leaned over. "I feel lightheaded."

"Of course you do." Nami scoffed. "It's always something with you two, honestly."

"Hey. Wait a minute, what did I do? Luffy questioned as he looked back at Nami.

"Everything?" I suggested as I set Zoro's stuff beside him and Zoro.

"Are you kidding me? You're the worst of them all!" Nami shouted. "Anyways, let's go help the Mayor." Nami finished, her voice dropping from a shout to normal.

"Oh, yeah. I guess we should wake the Old Guy up now that it's all over." Luffy stated as he stood back up next to Nami and I.

"You there." We all turned to look at a large group of people standing not too far away. "You're not residents of this village." One man stated.

"Nope, and who are you?" Luffy asked.

"Luffy, they're clearly the villagers." I whispered as the villagers watched us.

"What was all that cannon fire we heard? It sounded like there may have been a battle here earlier. If you know anything please tell us." The original man continued.

"Oh good, they're just citizens." Nami sighed. "I thought that maybe they were more pirates."

"Luffy, I swear-" Before I could finish, the villagers saw their Mayor and began freaking out as they ran to him.

"Oh, Mayor!"

"Oh, no! Say something!"

"Can you hear me?"

"He's out cold."

"The pirates definitely did this."

"So horrible."

"No, I'm the one that kicked that Old Man's ass." Luffy stated. I quickly spun and covered Luffy's mouth with my hand.

"WHAT!?" The entire village seem to simultaneously ask.

"Don't you dare say another word." I ordered before Luffy grabbed my wrist and removed my hand.

"Hold on, you didn't have to tell them that, did you?" Nami whispered.

"It's true." Luffy answered Nami.

"Maybe you should explain to them so they don't get angry." Nami suggested. She stopped when we all looked back to see the villagers standing back up and all glaring at us. They all had various kinds of weapons out.

"Tell me. Why exactly did you knock our Mayor out and leave him in the street to die?" The original man questioned.

"You better explain yourselves." Another demanded.

"Who are you? Are you with the pirates?" A third asked.

"We're pirates." Luffy announced.

"Just as we thought!" The villagers all yelled. Zoro then began to laugh, holding onto his bleeding side.

"IDIOT!" Nami yelled, making Luffy flinch.

"But it's true." Luffy replied in his defense.

"Just because it's true doesn't mean you have to say it." I explained. Luffy then walked past towards Zoro.

"How dare you ravage our town." A villager accused.

"We won't show you any mercy for what you've done." Another declared. As soon as Luffy reached Zoro he crouched down to his height.

"What now?" Zoro asked. "Doesn't look like they're up for a discussion."

"RUN!" Luffy yelled as he picked Zoro up He then took off running past us. Seconds later Nami and I were running after him. It wasn't long before the villagers were on our tail. The villagers yelled at us as they followed.

"How do you always make things worse?" Nami asked as we ran.

"It's because he's basically five." I commented.

"This is a good town." Luffy replied, ignoring my comment.

"Huh?" Nami and I said as we glanced over at Luffy.

"Everyone's so mad just because of the old Mayor guy." Luffy continued. "Something tells me they're not gonna listen to our side of the story."

"Who's fault is that?" I questioned sarcastically.

"We're turning here." Luffy suddenly stated as he turned down an alley.

"Wait, hold on!" Nami yelled as she ran to far, but quickly corrected her path. As I tried to turn my foot slipped and I slid at least a foot before regaining my footing and running after him. "You gotta let us know sooner!" We quickly caught up and as we ran down the alley we had to jump over Chouchou who sat in the middle of our path.

"Chouchou?" Nami and I wondered as Luffy said 'Doggy' instead. We continued running to hear Chouchou bark at the villagers entering the alley.

"Hey, move Chouchou. Get outta here." One of the villagers ordered. Chouchou stood his ground and barked a few more times.

"Those four are pirates!" Another stated.

"You're barking at the wrong people." A third said. We continued to hear Chouchou bark as he blocked the villagers who ordered him to move.

"He did that cause of you y'know." I pointed out as we neared the end of the alley.

"Thank you Doggy!" Luffy yelled back as we were given all the space we needed to get to the port safely. When we got there I noticed that our boat was smaller than Nami's. That was after I fell to the ground in exhaustion.

"That was close." Nami panted.

"Thank you Luffy. We totally needed to be attacked by villagers." I groaned, rolling onto my back.

"Oh, sorry Takara." Luffy said, looming over me.

"It's fine." I waved him off. He continued to loom over me for another moment before leaving.

"We only made it because of Chouchou. Why do we have to put up with this?" Nami continued.

"Does it matter now? We're done here anyway." Luffy stated.

"Yeah, maybe so but-" Nami began before Luffy cut her off.

"Hey, is this your boat?" Luffy asked. I slowly sat up and turned to look at the two boats. "It's great!" Luffy awed.

"It's nothing special, but I guess it'll do." Nami shrugged. I pushed myself to my feet and stood up next to Nami. "I stole it from some dumb pirates a few days back."

"That's a big mouth you've got!" Someone yelled from Nami's ship. I peered over into it as Nami let out a small scream.

"We've been waiting for you, you little thief." One of the three men stated.

"Never thought you'd run into us here, now did ya girly?" Another told us.

"Don't tell me we're gonna have to fight again." I groaned. Nami laughed nervously.

"You know these guys?" Luffy smiled, and turned to Nami. I walked around to the other side of Luffy, to the side Zorro hung off.

"Luffy, let me take Zorro." I requested. He looked over to me before I pulled Zoro's free arm over my shoulder and Luffy let go of Zoro's other arm.

"Yeah, sort of." Nami replied nervously.

"It's not just sort of, we're bound together by fate." The first man said. He then looked over at Luffy, Zoro, and I. "So these are your friends. I guess we'll just have to punish the three of them as well. It's time you learned what happens when you steal other people's stuff." Luffy looked up and met the guys eyes as he reached towards Zoro. "Hey you, you hear me? Time for your medicine." The man laughed slightly as he hit the back of Zoro's head.

"Huh?" Zoro looked up, a glare in his eyes. The three men practically went pale in an instant as they screamed. Seconds later they were off down the street and gone.

"Zoro, what did you do to them?" I asked. Zoro looked up at me.

"Met them while you guys were flying away with that bird. They caused me some trouble and I dealt with them." He stated.

"You dealt with them?" I asked.

"Well it worked in my favor." He finished.

"Let's just get you on the boat." I stated as I walked him over to the boat. I set him down in the front of Luffy's boat before hopping into Nami's.

"What are you doing?" Nami asked, looking at me in confusion.

"I am not riding with those two again." I stated, pointing a thumb at the two getting in the other boat. She looked over at them, then back at me.

"You can ride with me this time." She told me, stepping onto the boat.

"Thank you." I hugged her, before leaning against the small cabin and looking over at Luffy's boat.

"TAAKKKAAARRRRRAAAA!" Luffy whined as I stared over at him.

"I'm gonna ride with Nami for awhile." I winked at him. He just grumbled and looked away.

"All right, let's get going." Luffy stated after a minute of silence. His boat picked up speed and quickly caught up with us.

"Can I ask you something? Isn't that Buggy's mark on your sail?" I heard Zoro ask. I looked up to see a Jolly Roger on her mast. It must have been Buggy' because it had a red nose on it and reminded me of a clown.

"Well this did use to be Buggy's boat. Think I should change it?" Nami shrugged. I turned back around and I was about to speak when I noticed someone standing over on the docks we had just left.

"Hey! Wait! Young ones!" I turned and looked over to see the mayor yelling at us. I also noticed two sacks sitting next to him. They looked a whole lot like the sacks Nami had been carrying earlier. The mayor stood there silent for a moment before yelling. "Thanks! Thank you!" I laughed and waved good-bye to the man.

"Don't worry about it! Take it easy!" Luffy called back. I then started laughing as Nami began yelling at Luffy.

"What'd you do, huh!? Don't tell me you left that bag of treasure back there!" She was nearly fuming.

"Ya." Luffy stated simply.

"That bag was worth around five thousand beli's, you idiot!" Nami was nearly at a breaking point and Luffy was surely going to be demolished by her rage.

"That's right, and they're gonna need that money to repair their destroyed town." Luffy replied.

"But that was my treasure! Jerk!" Luffy's face became frightened as Nami yelled at him. "Do you know how hard I worked to steal it!?" She finished. She instantly grabbed Luffy's head and shoved it down between the boats towards the water. "Why did you do that!?" She yelled.

"Stop! I can't swim!" Luffy yelled back as he flailed and tried to get back into the boat, only holding on by his hands. His face was nearly touching the water's surface.

"That's the whole idea!" Nami retorted. I fell onto my back laughing.

"If you want it just go back and get it." Luffy ordered. I looked back up to see Luffy nearly get back up, but to be pushed down again. This only made me laugh harder.

"I can't do that. You go get it!" Nami continued to yell. I stopped soon after and attempted to catch my breath.

"NO!" Luffy shouted back. As I caught my breath I could hear Zoro laughing as well. Soon Nami let him back up and he coughed as he got back into his boat.

"Well, for better or for worse it looks like we finally have a navigator in our crew." Zoro stated after he stopped laughing.

"Oh, Takara." Luffy said, catching my attention. I turned to look over at him. "I have a job for you in the crew." Luffy announced with a grin.

"Really?" I asked, moving to the side of the boat.

"I'm not gonna tell you yet, though." Luffy continued.

"You jerk!" I yelled. I then reached across the gap between our boats and nabbed Luffy's hat. "This is mine now." I declared as I hid the hat behind my back with a grin.

"What? No." Luffy stated worriedly.

"Oh, just calm down." I said as I pulled the hat back out and looked it over. "I'm just gonna fix all the holes you made." I finished as I moved into the cabin.

* * *

**Wow, this chapter was long.**

**Just know that most won't be this long.**

**This one was an exception.**

**Maybe a few more exceptions as I revise.**

**REVIEW!**

**Please, I love to hear from my readers.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	8. Usopp and a New Friend

I woke to find that it was still dark. I rolled over onto my stomach from my place on the cabin floor. I pushed myself to my feet and left the cabin. The early morning air was cold as I looked out over the calm seas that lay in front of us. Although it was dark I could see everything perfectly. The horizon slowly grew brighter as I watched. The sky turned pink, turning the edges of some nearby clouds pink as well. I watched as the sun lit up the sky for the first time today. It was always nice watching the sunrise and at sea. No one is usually awake at this time so it's peaceful and quiet. After the sunrises I have to wait quietly till someone wakes up. I never had enough heart to wake someone up in the morning unless I had to. The sun slowly climbed and the sky turned the lovely shade of blue that matched my eyes.

"You're awake earlier." I peered over my shoulder to see Nami looking up at me. I took a seat at the front of the boat and looked back at Nami.

"You are too it seems." I laughed quietly, trying not to wake the boys in the boat beside us. Nami noticed me looking over at them.

"I guess we should be quieter." Nami laughed beside me, quieter than she had been before.

"Did you get to see the sunrise?" I asked, looking at the sun which was farther up now.

"No, woke up just after." She stated, rubbing the back of her head.

"Well, it's a beautiful sight. Anywhere you go it changes, but on the sea it becomes more beautiful. The sun slowly reveals the calm ocean and the light clouds floating above. It's... quiet." I finished, leaning against the edge of the boat and basking in the new warmth.

"You sound like you've done this a lot." Nami pointed out, I shrugged.

"My father was a pirate. I traveled at sea with him for as long as I can remember. I got into the habit of waking up before anyone and watching the sunrise." I stated. There was a silence as we both watched the sun climb, the boys snoring in the boat next to us.

"About yesterday. I'm sorry for provoking Buggy while he was holding your ankle." Nami said, staring down at the ground. I glanced over at her. I didn't reply for a moment. Instead I stood up to give her a giant hug.

"That's alright." I giggled, pushing her away and looking into her eyes. "As long as you promise to be my friend." She smiled and nodded.

"Sure, why not." She laughed.

"Through thick and thin, nothing will keep us apart. Got it?" Nami laughed in reply, which I took as a yes.

"Our first mission, if we choose to accept it, is to mess with the boys until they wake up." Nami stated after she finished laughing. I nodded and we went into the cabin to look for things to poke them with.

It had been close to a hour and the boys still weren't awake. We had thrown books at the two. Poked them with loose boards. We had even rocked their boat. Everything we had tried failed.

"Man, they can sleep." I groaned, collapsing to my knees after another failed attempt.

"There's always one more thing we could try." Nami said, suspiciously. She walked over to the area between our boats. She bent over the side of the boat and pushed down on the edge of theirs. Suddenly she stood straight back up, water flying up with her in a giant splash. The water rose above our heads and splashed onto the boys on the other boat. Luffy's eyes shot open at the touch of the water.

"WATER!" He screamed and flailed before falling limp to the deck. He had instantly fallen back asleep. Zoro on the other hand groaned and started waking up. He looked over at us then back over at Luffy. He pulled out one of his blades, still sheathed, and hit it against Luffy's head.

"Time to wake up." He stated. Luffy woke up once more and rubbed the top of his head. I noticed Nami disappear into the cabin. I hopped up and walked to the railing of the ship.

"Morning. How'd you both sleep?" I asked, a smile plastered on my face.

"Well aren't you just wide awake." Zoro groaned, he then yawned and stretched his arms above him.

"I've been awake for at least an hour." I stated as I gave him an annoyed glare.

"I had this dream where someone splashed me with water." Luffy said, his eyes wide. I stared at him for a moment before bursting out laughing at his remark. I continued to laugh as I fell backwards onto the deck. Nami exited the cabin and walked over to me.

"What's so funny?" She asked. I slowly tried to catch my breath before sitting back up

"It's nothing." I stated as Nami walked over to the cabin wall and leaned against it.

"There's absolutely no way we'll make it to the Grand Line in this condition." Nami blurted out, after a moment of silence. I looked up and over to her and heard Luffy and Zoro do the same.

"You're right. We're gonna need a whole lot more meat." I abruptly turned my head and looked over at Luffy as he popped an apple core in his mouth. Luffy was sitting on the bow of his boat. "Eating fruit everyday is for the birds."

"We'll also need some booze." Zoro began, an apple was thrown at him. His head flew back at the sudden hit the apple flying up and away.

"Shut up you bone heads." Nami groaned. Luffy reached out and grabbed the apple as it fell back down. I was actually getting hungry myself so I walked over to a barrel and grabbed an apple from inside of it. I took a bite of the apple before wandering back over to my spot on the deck. Nami herself had an apple.

"That's not what I mean? The Grand Line's a dangerous place. We'll need more than beer and meat to survive there. Not to mention the place is crawling with pirates who are also in search of the One Piece, and they all have ships that are way better than this." Nami finished her rant.

"And we don't have a crew." Luffy said, through the apple in his mouth. I swallowed the bite I had.

"Yeah, we at least need a doctor and a chief. Luffy also needs to decide who he wants to be his first ma-" I began.

"Takara!" Luffy suddenly yelled. I looked over at him confused, he had a happy smile on his face. "I forgot to tell you that you're my first mate now." He declared laughing.

"You really couldn't tell me that earlier!" I shouted, throwing my hands in the air. I then brought them back down and took a bite of the apple in my hand.

"Well, we don't have a proper crew, we don't have any equipment, or even a real ship for that matter." Nami continued her rant. "There is no way we'll ever make it like this."

"Yep. We'll need a cook, and maybe musician to keep entertained." Luffy commented.

"A musician?" Zoro asked, before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"So stupid." Nami muttered at the boys. "A little to the south of here is an island with some settlements on it, and it looks like we might be able to get our ship and some of the supplies we need there."

"Fresh meat at last!" Luffy cheered.

"Lots of booze as well." Zoro added.

"Is that all you think about?" Nami questioned.

"Most likely." I answered for them.

"What am I gonna do with you two?" Nami fumed.

"A bigger ship might be in order to deal with them." I stated.

"How long have you known these two?" Nami asked suddenly, aiming a thumb at the two boys. I looked past her to see Zoro with his eyes closed, leaning against the side of the boat, and Luffy staring into the distance, still on the bow.

"I've known Zoro for awhile now. Luffy's been my best friend since childhood." I replied.

"How in the world could you have dealt with Luffy for so long?" Nami groaned, slumping forward and staring at the deck.

"Easy, keep him occupied with pointless things." I laughed, but that trick sometimes didn't work. I looked up and out at the sea in front of us. The sun was now up in the sky. "So whose doing what when we get to that island?" I asked Nami as she looked back up.

"We'll we need to stock up on supplies and get a proper ship." Nami stated, she still wasn't smiling though. "With those two with us we'll end up with a tiny ship, just you wait and see." She groaned.

"I'm sure we'll find something proper. I can n-" I stopped when I noticed the island in front of us. Nami turned around as well.

"Land!" Luffy cheered. "Let's go find some meat!" Luffy laughed.

"Stop being in such a hurry." Zoro groaned. "It'll take us another ten minutes or so just to reach the shore." After that we all stared intently at the island as we got closer. Luffy was practically jumping up and down. Soon our ships came to a stop on the shore and we all jumped out of the boats.

"It feels good to be on dry land again." Zoro announced as he stretched his arms above his head.

"There's a village around here somewhere, right?" Luffy asked as he turned to Nami. I looked down the beach to see a cliff lining it. Ahead of us stood a slope that lead up to the top of the cliff.

"Yeah. It looks like a small one though." Nami explained as she looked at her map.

"Oh, oh! Then there's meat! There's meat! There has to be a place to eat meat in this village" Luffy exclaimed excitedly.

"Just forget about meat for a minute, would ya?" Nami suggested.

"Can't forget it now that it's on his mind." I stated as I stretched my arms down to my toes. I could hear Zoro yawn in front of me as he stretched. It was suddenly cut off and I stood back up to look over at him.

"Careful." Zoro began, placing a hand on one of his swords. "We're being watched."

"Huh? By who? Where are they? They got meat?" Luffy questioned as he looked up and down the beach frantically. We stood still for a moment and waited.

"Look out!" Zoro called. Almost immediately Luffy began hopping between feet as something shot at them. Nami screamed before running over to the boats. Before I could follow the shooting stopped and so did Luffy. Seconds later flags began sprouting out of the bushes on the cliff above us, and on each one was the same simple Jolly Roger.

"Aw… That's so cool!" Luffy cheered as he waved his arms.

"Is this supposed to be when we're impressed?" Nami questioned from behind Luffy's boat.

"Nope, just him." I said with a smile.

"Hah, hahahahaha!" We all looked up to see a man at the top of the cliff. He had his arms crossed as he laughed and looked down on us. He had a bag by his hip that hung off his shoulder and a flag beside him. His fuzzy black hair was held back by a bandana and his nose was unusually long. "I am Usopp, leader of the invincible nation of pirates who reign over this island." The man declared. "You stand before a living legend. The most revered pirate who ever lived. I am the great Captain Usopp." I stepped back and tried to think. After a moment I gave up because I only knew one person with a name similar to his, and he certainly wasn't a captain. "Surely you know that plotting an attack on this island means certain death. My army of 80 million super mean pirate soldiers would squash you like bugs!" Usopp announced as he threw his arms out in reference to the flags.

"AWESOME!" Luffy gawked, his mouth wide.

"You expect us to believe that?" Nami asked.

"Ah! She knows." Usopp stated as his hand flew to the sides of his head and he freaked.

"Yup… Well now I know." Nami smirked.

"How could I have been so dumb? I practically told her I was lying. I am such an idiot. So stupid." Usopp continued as his body wobbled. I slowly walked back to stand by Nami.

"Why are people so creepy? First Buggy and now him." I stated.

"What? He was lying?" Luffy questioned as he turned to us.

"Luffy, how could 80 million pirates be waiting for us on that cliff?" I asked sarcastically.

"Curse you, you crafty tactician." Usopp shouted. "80 million may have been an exaggeration, but I have a great many men under my control."

"My guess is three." Nami said. Suddenly three boys popped out of a couple of bushes as they screamed.

"AH! SHE DOES KNOW!" The three boys screamed. They quickly took off running.

"Hey! Where are you guys going? Come back!" Usopp yelled after the boys. Nami then walked past and picked something up out of the sand.

"A pirate using a slingshot, huh?" Nami wondered. I looked over her shoulder at the metal ball between her fingers. "Well know I've seen it all."

"I doubt it." I muttered causing Nami to turn and glare at me. "You've seen at least a clown pirate and a pirate who uses a slingshot. I bet there's way more you haven't seen."

"How would you know?" Nami questioned.

"Because I just know things." I answered.

"That's pretty cool." Luffy laughed, most likely having missed my continued conversation with Nami.

"Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you." Usopp announced. He reached towards his bag and began digging around. "I'm a proud man and I won't stand for it." Usopp then pulled out a slingshot and a ball, aiming it down at us. Luffy's laughing stopped and we all stared up at Usopp. "This is your last warning, or you'll get to see why they call me Proud Usopp and not Push-Over Usopp. Is that clear?" Usopp asked as Luffy lowered his head and held onto his hat. "You've already seen for yourself just how good I am with this thing, so you know I can rival anyone carrying a pistol."

"Now that you've drawn your pistol, are you willing to use it?" Luffy asked, his voice low as his head raised. His hat was pushed down so his eyes remained covered. Usopp gaped at the statement. "Guns aren't for threats, they're for actions. Are you willing to risk your life?" He was totally using my father's lines. I heard Zoro let out a soft chuckle and I rolled my eyes. Zoro pushed his sword out slightly and turned to look up at Usopp.

"I can assure you we're real pirates. Consider your next move carefully." Zoro explained. Then everything was at a stand still. Luffy and Zoro stood their ground and Usopp seemed to shake from his spot on the cliff. In this time the flags seemed get blown over. Then Usopp's slingshot shot forward, but the ball fell to the ground. A second later he collapsed to his knees.

"Real pirates definitely have a lot more punch behind their words because they can actually back 'em up. That's so cool." Usopp mumbled as he watched us.

"Oh my god, he's like another Luffy." I mumbled as I looked back at Nami. Her eyes went wide for a moment as Luffy and Zoro started laughing.

"I stole that." Luffy announced.

"Huh?" Usopp said as he moved to the edge of the cliff.

"I stole those words from Red-Haired Shanks. A pirate I know." Luffy continued. I then stepped forward and smacked the back of his head. He glanced over at me with a pout as he held the back of his head.

"What? You know Red-Haired Shanks?" Usopp awed. "You really are a real pirate. Wait, you gotta be lying. Do you really know him?"

"Yup." Luffy smiled.

"You have no idea." I shouted up to him.

"I know you're dad too. His name's Yasopp, right?" Luffy continued. Usopp looked confused for a moment before leaning forward and falling down the cliff and onto his head.

"You're right." Usopp said once he was looking back at us as he laid on the ground. "My old man's name is Yasopp, but how… uh… how in the world do you know him?" Usopp asked as he sat back up, a frown on his face. Despite his frown I started to laugh.

"I'm going to go find a ship." I stated, cutting my laugh off abruptly. I then started walking past Zoro and Luffy towards the slope. "Don't you dare mention anything about my father." I ordered Luffy as I took of running up the slope.

It felt nice to finally stretch my legs. I enjoyed the breeze that blew across my face as I took a deep breath in. The island smelled like trees and freshly baked bread. Someone in the nearby village was bound to help me. My father had said I always had a knack for making friends in the most unlikely of places. I ran up the path and followed it for a ways before I finally came upon a village. Nothing much, just a couple of houses. No one was out and about or walking around. Strange, it was such a nice looking place.

"Hey!" I screamed as someone called out to me from behind. I spun around and looked back to see a man coming out of his house. "Never seen someone like you around here." He stated. Y'know, I bet it was because of my hair… I haven't met too many people with this color, let alone shade, of hair.

"Oh, I'm just passing through with my friends." I mentioned, walking over to the man. "It's nice to see someone in such a sweet looking town. My name's Takara." I held out a hand. The man looked me over before taking it and shaking it.

"You seem like a nice girl. Would you like some bread? My wife just made it." The man offered. I shook my head.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm looking for someone. Is there anyone nearby that could supply me and my friends with a ship. You see our boat isn't big enough and we can't use it to travel very well." I asked, keeping my voice calm and steady. The man was silent for a moment, he then pointed down the road I had been taking.

"Follow this path and you'll come to a mansion that belongs to Miss Kaya. She might help you." I nodded to the man before running down the path.

"Thank you!" I yelled as I ran. I followed the road for awhile until I left the village. I did as the man said and followed the road until I came to a mansion. I turned down a small road to a set of gates.

"You there." I looked over to see a man in a uniform.

"What is your intent?" A man beside him asked. I walked over to the two and smiled.

"I would like to speak with Miss Kaya. Is she home?" I asked.

"Miss Kaya is busy. Come back in a few days." The first guard stated.

"I need to talk to her about a business proposition. Do you think she could slid me in for ten minutes or so? Please?" I requested, putting on a pair of puppy eyes. The two looked at each other before looking back at me. They stepped aside and pushed the gate open. I walked past them towards the doors to the mansion. "Thank you for your kindness." I nodded to the two guards before running to the door. I pushed the door open and entered. There was a large foyer with a staircase directly in front of the doors.

"Now if I were the owner of this house where would I be?" I asked myself, tapping my foot against the tile I stood on.

"Can I help you?" I jumped slightly before turning and to see a butler. The butler was tall, wore a tuxedo, had shiny black hair that was slicked back, and glasses. He re adjusted his glasses by pushing them up with his palm. He looked awfully familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I quickly broke out of my thought and smiled at the man.

"I'm here to see Miss Kaya. The guards let me in. Can you show me where her room is?" I asked politely. He looked me over for a moment.

"Miss Kaya is sick, but I will allow you to see her for a minute or two." The butler then led me up the stairs and down a small hall to a room. "Would you like some tea while you're here?" He asked, adjusting his glasses again, with his palm.

"No, but thank you." I then walked around him and into the room. The butler entered with me and walked over to a desk. I stood off to the side of the doorway to wait. A girl sat on a bed next to a window. The girl had light blonde hair and pale skin. She looked very sick. She clutched a pillow to her chest as the butler took out a glass and poured water into it.

"You wish to see Usopp?" The butler said, probably continuing a conversation from earlier. He stopped pouring the water and turned to the girl. "Don't start this again."

"May I see him? I like talking to him." The girl replied, looking up at the butler. The butler sighed and pushed up his glasses.

"No ma'am. That man is without a doubt a chronic liar. For someone in your weakened state Usopp's outlandish stories might be too much to handle." The butler stated simply.

"But I-" The girl began.

"Your late parents instructed me to protect you to the fullest of my abilities." So I take it she was the new owner and her parents had passed it all down to her. The butler adjusted his glasses as he continued. "It would be against their wishes for you to see him Miss Kaya. Now then, I'll leave your medicine right here. Please be sure to take it." The butler addressed the girl I now knew as Miss Kaya. He then turned and left the room.

"Kill Joy." I heard Kaya mutter before the butler left.

"Kill Joy will do. A name I'll bear if you are kept safe." The man stated before finally leaving. I left my place beside the door and walked over to her bed. I took a seat at the end of it and crossed my legs under me.

"Hello Miss Kaya. My names Takara." I smiled at her. She looked up at me and smiled a bit.

"I don't get very many guests. Now what can I help you with?" She asked, her voice was soft and gentle.

"In time I would like a ship for me and my friends. Right now I would like to know more about this Usopp guy you two were fighting over a minute ago." I chose not to mention that I saw him earlier. Kaya looked nervously towards the door before clutching tighter onto the pillow she held. I looked over before smiling and moving closer to Kaya. "Don't worry about him." I added.

"Well, Usopp is a boy from the village that comes to visit me sometimes. His mother died awhile back, and his father left to join a pirate crew. He's a pirate too, and he tells the greatest stor-" A rock suddenly hit the window we sat by. Kaya's face grew into the picture of happiness at the sound. She then got up and threw open the windows. I looked past her to see Usopp sitting on a tree branch just outside the window.

"Usopp! You came!" Kaya exclaimed.

"Of course. How are you? You seem a little down." Usopp replied. I moved over next to Kaya, and peered out at him with her.

"I guess I am. I'm tired of talking like this. I'd like to invite you inside like a proper guest. But there's just no way Klahadore would ever allow that. He's not a bad person though." Kaya finished.

"Don't sweat it. Remember I'm a brave warrior of the sea who likes endless oceans and the open sky. Houses weren't made for rouge's like me. I'd probably just feel cramped in there." Usopp laughed. Usopp glanced over at me and before he could say anything I placed a finger to my lips.

"So what adventure are you going to tell me about today?" Kaya requested. Usopp leaned back.

"Hmmm, well let's see. Oh I know. What about the story of me fighting a giant goldfish at the South Pole when I was only five years old?" Usopp asked.

"A goldfish?" Me and Kaya questioned.

"A giant goldfish. What first astounded me was the immense size of it's poop. It was so big that when I landed on it I thought it was solid ground. It looked like an island!" Usopp began his story, stopping there so he could laugh along with us.

He really was a liar, but he seemed like a nice guy. It was obvious this story was a lie, but he used it to make Kaya happy. That was a good enough reason as any to lie.

As Usopp continued his story I couldn't help but think of what Kaya had said. His father had run off to be a pirate and his mother had died. I had already figured out who is father was. Of course, Yasopp would always go on about how amazing his son was. If only Usopp knew how much he was like his father.

Usopp continued on with his story and I watched as Kaya seemed hooked on every word. She really did seem happy around Usopp, despite having not known her very long at all. Every so often Usopp would say something that caused Kaya to burst out laughing. Usopp would then make faces that caused them both to laugh.

"Gum gum!" I quickly broke away and peered out the window as I heard someone yell. Seconds later something shot up from the other side of the fence as screaming was heard. The screaming became distant as it traveled up over us. What on earth was Luffy doing?

"So after that terrifying and traumatic little incident we escaped into the sky riding on a giant slingshot ball." Usopp laughed.

"What's that?" Kaya pointed up to something falling out of the sky. I peered up to see the figures falling out of the sky. Usopp began screaming as the things that were in the sky crashed to the ground just below the tree. A giant cloud of dust forming along with them. I could tell instantly that it had been Luffy, Nami, and Zoro, but I also noticed a few other figures with them as they had fell.

"Hey Rubber Head! You okay?" I leaned out the window and called down to Luffy. The dust had cleared revealing three pairs of feet in a bush, Nami sitting on the ground, Zoro on his back on a concrete path with his swords spread out around him, and Luffy laying on his stomach on the same concrete path. The concrete around Zoro and Luffy both had craters and were cracked.

"That worked well." I heard Luffy groan.

"Yeah! Real well!" Nami growled at Luffy.

"My goodness are you okay?" Kaya asked, looking down at them worriedly.

"Ah, don't mind them Kaya. This happens to me all the time. That's just the price of being a famous adventurer. They're just new recruits who heard about me and came to join the Usopp pirates." Usopp tried to explain the situation.

"They're gonna be fine." I assured.

"There you are Takara!" Luffy suddenly sprung up and smiled up at me. I grinned back as I leaned out the window.

"Stop running away." Luffy suddenly ordered me before he turned his attention up at Usopp. "Nope. Not me. I came here to see you. I wanted to ask you a favor." Luffy began, changing his tone.

"A favor? From me?" Kaya questioned.

"Uh-huh. I was wondering if there was anyway you could help us get a boat." Luffy answered.

"You there." We all turned out heads and looked over at Kaya's butler, Klahadore, as he walked towards the group below. "What do you think you're doing?" Klahadore demanded.

"Klahadore…" Kaya muttered.

"Get out." He ordered before fixing his glasses. "I'll have you know that this is criminal trespassing." He told us after we didn't do anything. Then everything went silent for a moment as the tension grew.

"Hey guys." Luffy said, breaking the silence. "Who's he?"

* * *

**That was a nice chapter.**

**I had a lot of freedom so I improvised.**

**That's all for today.**

**REVIEW for me. I like hearing reviews. I like hearing what you all think.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	9. Trust and a New Outfit

"Uh… actually, Klahadore, these people are-" Kaya began explaining.

"Not now Kaya. You can tell me all about this riffraff after they've left. Now get out, all of you." Klahadore declared as he walked closer to the group. "Leave now unless you have some business with me."

I was instantly swallowed up in thought for a moment as I finally remembered who he was. He was the missing Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates. He was an infamous pirate that had disappeared quite some time ago. He resembled how my father had described him almost exactly. He even continued the habit of pushing his glasses up with his palm. A habit he had gotten from the weapons he used. Why was Captain Kuro here of all places? Why a butler? What was he doing? I was quickly shaken out of my thoughts by Luffy's voice.

"Alright. Do you think you can help us get a ship?" Luffy asked.

"Certainly not." Klaha- I mean Kuro declared. Luffy groaned and his shoulders feel. Zoro reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Usopp." Kaya and I looked over to see Usopp on the opposite side of the tree from Kuro. He was upside down and barely seemed to be holding on.

"Crap." Usopp mumbled before turning back around and grabbing back on to the branch he had previously been sitting on to talk to us.

"You have quite the reputation. You are very well known in the village." Kuro continued.

"Sure am." Usopp laughed as he got a good hold on the branch.

"I hear you've been on many an adventure. Quite impressive for someone as young as you." Kuro stated. I grinned as Usopp climbed up to stand on the tree branch.

"Usually people who admire me so much call me Captain. So it's Captain Usopp to you." Usopp called down to Kuro.

"Captain, huh?" Kuro laughed. "Your father also had something of a reputation."

"What?" Usopp questioned, causing Kaya to look over at him worriedly.

"Klahadore, please just stop." Kaya pleaded as she turned to look back down at Kuro.

"You'll never be anything more than the son of a filthy pirate." Kuro declared. I tightened my jaw as I turned away, trying to keep my mouth shut. "Who knows what sort of trouble you're up to now. All I ask is that you and your kind leave this respectable young lady alone."

"A filthy pirate?" Usopp growled as I turned back to look at him.

"You and she are from completely different worlds and you know it." Kuro continued. "Is it money you're after? How much do you want?

"Seize this at once Klahadore. Apologize to him." Kaya yelled from her window. I quickly grabbed her shoulder as she leaned out the window to do so.

"Hey. Calm down, Kaya." Usopp said calmly as he looked over at us.

"I don't believe there is any reason to apologize to this savage young man, my lady." Kuro explained. "My goal isn't to slander, I am merely stating the truth. I sympathize with your situation. You must hate your great idiot of a father for abandoning his family and his village because of his mindless lust for treasure."

"Klahadore stop!" Kaya yelled again. I slowly pulled her back from leaning out of the window.

"Don't you dare insult my father ever again." Usopp scowled. He then jumped off the branch.

"Usopp!" Kaya called. We then saw a hook grab onto the tree and then Usopp was sliding down the rope attached to the hook down to the ground. The hook then detached and was sucked back into Usopp's bag when he landed.

"Why have you gotten so worked up Usopp?" Kuro asked as I noticed Usopp shake as he clenched his fists. "It's times like these when you should do what you do best and lie. Tell me about how your father is really a traveling salesman or about how you aren't really related by blood." Usopp soon launched towards Kuro.

"Enough!" Usopp declared as his fist met Kuro's jaw. Kuro was sent back, his glasses flying off. Kaya gasped as her hand flew to her mouth. The three boys below gasped as well.

"Captain!" The boys called.

"Case and point. He resorts to violence. I guess the apple never falls far from the tree, does it?" Kuro announced as he fixed his glasses.

"Shut up!" Usopp ordered and I noticed Kuro flinch back. "My father listened to his heart and chose a life of risk and adventure. I am proud to say that my old man is a brave warrior of the sea." Usopp explained. "You're right. I have been known to exaggerate from time to time, but I will never lie about who my father is. I refuse to be ashamed of my heritage." I moved to look past Kaya as Usopp's head fell. "I am the son of a pirate!" Usopp proclaimed. Moments later Kuro laughed.

"Pirates are brave warriors of the sea, are they?" Kuro questioned before laughing more. He then pushed himself up to his feet as he continued. "That's quite a twisted way of putting things." Kuro continued as he swept dirt of his clothes. "You don't seem to understand that you are living proof of his savage blood. You run around spouting lies and use violence when you don't get your way. To top it off you cozy up to the lady of the house to steal her fortune." Kuro accused.

"You're wrong. I only-" Usopp was cut off as Kuro interrupted him.

"You're father is a filthy no good pirate! Treachery is in your blood. Of course you would had such an evil scheme." Kuro announced.

"You won't let up will you?" Usopp questioned as he grabbed Kuro's collar and pulled back his arm to punch the butler again.

"Stop it Usopp, please!" Kaya continued to plead as I tried to stop her from falling out the window. "No more violence. I can't take it." Kaya cried as she moved back from leaning out the window. "Klahadore isn't a bad person. He's just-... He's just trying to do what he thinks is best for me and sometimes he goes too far." Kaya explained. Usopp loosened his grip after a moment and Kuro then slapped his hand away.

"Leave this place." Kuro ordered again. "You are never to come here again.

"Yeah, I get it. You don't have to tell me twice, buddy." Usopp replied. He then lowered his arms and walked past Kuro. "This is the last you'll ever see of me."

"Usopp…" Kaya muttered as I pulled her away from the window.

"Come on, let's get back inside." I said as I set her on her bed. I quickly moved back to the window to close it. As I did I noticed Luffy being held back by Zoro and the kids hiding behind Nami. When I moved back to Kaya she was back under her covers and was clutching her pillow. In between her coughs I could hear whimpers as she cried. "Y'know I have some stories too." I told Kaya in an attempt to get her attention and cheer her up like Usopp did.

"What?" Kaya asked, glancing up at me.

"Well, I've been on quite a few adventures like your friend Usopp." I explained.

"Really?" Kaya looked up to me. I moved closer to her and reached up to brush away the tears that stained her cheeks. There was a knock at the door and we both turned in time to see Kuro enter.

"Your meal is ready now Miss Kaya." Kuro announced as he entered the room pushing in a cart. Kaya buried her face in her pillow as I stood up and moved to the door.

"I'll come back when you two are done." I offered as I stepped out the door and closed them. I then leaned against the wall as I waited.

If Kuro was here, what was he planning... He always had a plan or scheme up his sleeve from what my father told me. Hopefully Kaya or the villages didn't get caught in it. They all seemed so sweet. For a pirate to ruin that peaceful life would be hard on them. Of course Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and I were pirates, but we were only here to get a ship. I looked up and around at the space. This place was rather empty. I had only seen Kuro and Kaya so far. Why would so few people live here?

"Klahadore! You Block Head!" I head Kaya yell after a couple minutes.

"Block Head will do fine." Kuro told her. I then heard him begin to walk my way and I moved to open the doors. As I did he walked past and out of the room. After he had turned a corner I grabbed the doors and closed them before turning to Kaya.

"We can talk about my adventures in a minute." I began as I walked over to her bed and took a seat. She no longer held her pillow, but her knees were still bent. "Those guys that fell out of the sky were part of my crew, do you think you can get us a ship?" I asked, reaching for the cart of food.

"I might be able to provide one." She replied, putting her hand to her chin and thinking.

"Sweet!" I exclaimed. I then poured myself and Kaya a cup of tea. I handed her the cup before leaning back with mine. I took a sip of the tea as she did the same. "Man this is good." I complimented. It was sweet and tasted like oranges, but surprisingly had an apple like after taste.

"If you'd like I could get my chef to give you the recipe." Kaya told me after finishing her sip.

"That would be great." I smiled.

"Can you bring the cart closer, we can eat together." I stood up and brought the cart over so we could both reach it. I sat beside her and we began eating the lunch that was made for her. I took a fork full of noodles and held it in front of me.

"So what's the story behind Klahadore?" I asked before putting the fork in my mouth and eating all the noodles off it.

"Um… He became my butler three years ago and he's been with me since. When my parents died he was the one there for me. He's the only family I have. It doesn't help that I've been sick recently. I feel that I've been worrying him too much." Kaya told me. "But that's enough from me. Do you have any family somewhere? And what about your adventures?" Kaya looked up meeting my eyes. I quickly swallowed another fork full of noodles.

"I consider all my friends part of my family." I began. "Even Usopp is sorta like family. You see, I knew his father. He had worked with my dad and he was an amazing sharpshooter." I took a deep breathe before falling backwards and laying on Kaya's bed. "As for my actual family, I'm an only child. My father told me about my mother a lot. He always described her as a loving woman, who knew and cared for everyone she met. She didn't have a mean bone in her body according to him." I explained. I took a breath before rolling so that I could face Kaya.

"No one seemed to remember very much of her appearance like her hair and clothes because of her eyes. Her eyes gave off such a comforting and warm feeling that could make anyone around her love her. They were the color of the very sky and nothing seemed to get past them. Oh, and you never wanted to be on her bad side. Supposedly she could make anyone she wanted, no matter their strength, drop to her knees with a single glare." I added with a laugh. My father's crew had told me about that part.

"I never got to meet her though. She dropped me off with my father before disappearing. According to my dad I wasn't even a month old when he ended up with me." I looked over to see that Kaya was watching me intently. I laughed a bit before continuing.

"I sailed all over the place with my father. He had vivid red hair much like mine. When he was angry... Let's just say that it was like his eyes cut right through you. He and his crew practically spoiled me, and I met everyone they worked with too. They all loved me and watched over me like I was their own daughter. Not much like they had a choice at first. They were forced to since my father was their captain, but I grew on them. My eyes had the same effect as my mothers." I rolled onto my back and sat up before turning back towards her. "But this all mu-" I began.

"What happened to your mother?" Kaya interrupted me. I stared at her blankly for a moment. I averted my gaze down onto my lap. I then reached up and ran a hand through my hair.

"The story is that one day a Marine's ship showed up with a baby at a port my father visited quite often. Just before the Marine's gave up my father pulled up at the port, just by luck. I was given to my father without a word, a letter pinned to the blanket I was in. The Marine's left before my father could do anything. He kept the letter for us to read, and I memorized it." I paused and cleared my throat as I changed the tone of my voice. " 'My dearest love. This is our daughter Takara. She was born out in the raging seas and her cry calmed them. My only wish is that I could raise her myself, but she cannot go where I am being taken. Please protect and raise our daughter. I know it might be a large request, but do it for my sake. I hope I'll get to see you and Takara again in the future. Please love our daughter more than you loved me. Take care. _-N_'. He searched for the longest time with no luck. He eventually gave up after hearing that she was dead. I only wish I could have met her." I looked over to see a more tears streaming out of Kaya's eyes. I moved closer, grabbing a napkin. I reached up and quickly wiped away her tears. "This wasn't supposed to make you cry."

"B-But... I-It's just s-so sad! I-I mean. S-She left y-you." Kaya hiccuped. She suddenly jumped at me. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders giving me a tight hug. She sobbed into my shoulder as I patted her back.

"I don't think of her that way. The crew had tons of stories to tell. I also just think of when I'll finally be able to meet her. I heard a rumor that she might be alive, so as I go on my adventures I'm going to find out if the rumor is true." I told her. Suddenly a man came into the room. He had fluffy white hair and something that looked like ram horns on the top of his head. Kaya stopped crying and looked up at the man.

"Pardon the interruption, but are these to your liking Miss?" He asked. Kaya sniffed once more and whipped her eyes. I looked at what the man held. It was a pair of glasses inside a pristine case. "Custom made to your exact specifications."

"Those are nice." I awed, looking at the pristine pair of glasses in the case the ram man held.

"It was quite a trip to get them." He finished, closing the case.

"They're just perfect. Thank you so much for traveling so far to get them for me." Kaya smiled, standing up. She took the glasses from the man and held them close to her as she sat back down on the bed beside me.

"They're a gift aren't they?" The ram man asked with a smile.

"Yes, as of tomorrow it will be exactly three years to the day since Klahadore arrived here. He's always taken such good care of me." Kaya's smile brightened.

"He'll be delighted to receive such a lovely gift." The ram man told her.

"I hope so." Kaya finished before the ram man left. She then looked over at me. "If you'd like I could let you stay here the night." She offered.

"Thanks for the offer, but I should be on my way. I really need to find my friends." I said as I stood up and began walking to the door.

"Thank you for spending time with me. I liked your stories." Kaya announced. I stopped with my hand on the doorknob and turned towards her.

"Any time." I smiled. It was then when I came up with an idea. I turned all the way back around to face Kaya. "Now that we've dealt with the whole ship thing, there's something else you might be able to help me with. So, I guess I'll just have to stay and see if you can help me with a problem I've been having."

"And what would that be?" Kaya asked, her full attention back on me.

"Well, I'm a kind of a huge klutz sometimes and I end up with cuts a lot. I need help trying to find something to help stop bleeding fast and easy."

* * *

"One more stitch." Kaya told me.

We had spent a couple hours on this and I personally thought it was a great idea. We had come up with a full proof plan, and had even tested the material. It was ingenious. It would have been completed sooner if it weren't for a distraction that lead us to finding an outfit hidden in her storage room, and since it wasn't Kaya's style, she offered it to me. The outfit consisted of a pair of tight jeans and a top that cut off at the bottom of my ribs with sleeves down to my elbows. I immediately put it on as Kaya started making the belt.

"And... Done!" Kaya announced. She handed me the thick leather belt she had been working on. It was pretty normal aside from the eight holes placed intermittently along one side.

We had found a cloth in her basement that seemed to stop bleeding quickly after being applied to a wound. Not only was the cloth easy to use, but it was easy to clean too. We then made several pieces of the cloth into rolls like bandage rolls, except for easy accessibility we folded them. We then slipped the eight folded sections of cloth into the eight separate sections that made up the length of the belt. Each cloth could be easily pulled out, and put back in, though the heart. Anytime I needed it, I could pull it out and wrap it around the injury. It was absolutely perfect! It even fit perfectly despite the bulk from the cloths. The belt itself was a deep red color to go with my hair. Once I had it on I turned and posed for Kaya.

"What do you think?" I asked as I changed my pose to show it off. She laughed and applauded as I posed.

"It's great!" She laughed more.

"Well, it was made by you." I teased. I moved a hair out of my face and behind my ear.

"It'll work great for you, I just know it." Kaya smiled. During our expedition in making the belt I had told her about my devil fruit power, it was an accident really. Kind of slipped out when she asked about a couple of the cuts on my arms. Of course this also lead to more stories about my adventures, especially ones that involved my powers.

"Thank you for all this." I gave her a hug and picked up my previous outfit before turning to leave.

"You're very welcome. I'll have a ship for you all soon." Kaya replied.

"See you later!" I announced before running out of the house. I ran down the path and through the village to the beach. Everything went in slow motion as Usopp ran past me with a bunch of villagers following him. Once they had all passed I turned and watched as they disappeared.

"What was that all about?" I shook my head clear before turning and continuing down the path. I managed to reach the boats and slip my clothes into them so they weren't a bother. I then turned back towards the path and went on my way to find Luffy and everyone.

Before long I found myself wandering back into town. It seemed empty again, but I suspected it was because they were all chasing Usopp. It wasn't long before I found myself at the edge of town near a fence. I glanced around quickly before climbing up onto it and walking. I found myself struggling to balance, but it was a good exercise.

"Hey!" Suddenly my foot slipped and I started to fall off the fence. In seconds a pair of arms wrapped around my waist and I was suddenly being held in front of Luffy. His arms were coiled around my body several times. I looked around to see Nami, Zoro, and three kids.

"Hey gu-" I began.

"You shouldn't be wearing that!" Luffy told me as I turned my head back towards him.

"Now why's that?" I asked, my eyes narrowing in on him.

"What if your dad saw you like that!? You're sixteen, that outfit is too revealing!" He yelled.

"It's my stomach for Pete's sake!" I yelled back.

"That doesn't mean your father wouldn't still kill me!" He yelled back. I glared at him and refused to turn away. After a moment I gave up and let out a breath.

"Fine. I won't wear it often, but it's gift so I'm not getting rid of it." I told him. "Deal?"

"Deal." Luffy said as he unwrapped himself and set me down. I quickly reached over and slapped the back of his head once I was back on the ground.

"Grow up." I stated as we turned back to everyone else.

"It's good to see ya." Zoro finally replied.

"Did you get us a ship?" Nami asked.

"Yup. Kaya's gonna get us one." I told Nami.

"That's my girl." She stuck her hand in front of her. I swiped my hand forward and a slapping sound echoed. We stared into each other's eyes before letting go of each other's hands and laughing. It was then that I started to notice that it was getting late. The sun had already started to set.

"Captain!" I turned around to see the three boys yelling at Usopp who stood farther down the road from us.

"Hey, how's it going guys?" Usopp replied.

"Hey!" Luffy joined in with the boys calls about their 'Captain'. Usopp's face suddenly became a grimace and he ran towards Luffy, stopping in front of him and the three boys.

"Wait! You're alive, again?!" Usopp asked in surprise.

"Luffy, what did you do?" I crossed my arms in front of my chest and turned to the Rubber Headed Moron.

"Alive? Yeah and I had a pretty good nap!" Luffy stated.

"He was sleeping the whole time." The boy whose head looked like a pepper commented.

"Captain, we heard all about those pirates and their evil plan!" The one with a carrot like head told Usopp.

"We better hurry and warn the people in the village so they have time to get away!" The one with an onion shaped head finished.

"What's all this about pirates?" I asked turning to face Zoro and Nami.

"A crew of pirates is going to attack the village tomorrow and 'accidentally' kill Kaya." Nami told me. I swallowed hard.

"So that's what Kuro's plan was." I growled, my hands clenching into fists. My anger diminished instantly and I looked up at the laughing man standing before all of us.

"Well obviously I'm lying like usual!" Usopp continued to laugh. "That butler made me so mad with what he said, I thought I'd get him back and say that he was a pirate!" The three boys soon joined Usopp's laughter. Something about this was off and I could tell he was lying.

"Oh, I get it. You put the straw hat guy up to it too." One of the boys laughed.

"Hey, where you going?" Usopp asked as they all stopped laughing.

"Honestly, you've really disappointed me." The Carrot boy announced with his back to Usopp.

"Yeah." The Pepper boy added. He was turned so that he was only half turned towards Pepper.

"Even though that butler guy's a jerk I thought you were better than lying to hurt someone and I admired you for being such a kind hearted person." The Onion boy continued.

"And to think, we respected you this entire time." The Pepper boy finished.

"I was wrong about him guys." The Carrot boy declared as the three boys walked off. Each one continued mumbling poorly about Usopp. My eyes looked over Usopp as he watched the boys leave. I then launched forward and grabbed his left arm. He flinched as I slid down his wristband.

"What is this?" I asked, looking at the bleeding scratch.

"It's nothing." Usopp laughed as he scratched the back of his head with his free hand. I quickly used my free hand to grab Usopp's nose.

"Stop lying." I ordered as I released his nose. I released his arm and began walking back down the path. Nami quickly caught up as the boys followed.

"You think he's lying about the pirate attack?" Nami asked.

"Considering that Luffy doesn't lie and I pretty sure that the butler is an infamous pirate… I think he's telling the truth." I replied.

"What about his arm?" Nami continued.

"My guess is that the villagers are angry with him for lying so much. One of them was probably able to get him." I explained.

"How can you be sure?" Nami continued her questioning.

"First of all, I know Luffy almost as well as I know my father's crew. Second, my father and his crew knew a lot and they told me a lot, especially about other famous pirates. Finally, I've seen the bad side of some villages." I answered.

"Wow." Nami said before laughing a bit. "We should probably fix his arm." Nami added as she glanced back at the boys.

"I bet we won't be able to find anything useful in his bag to fix his arm." I announced quietly.

"How much?" Nami grinned.

"How about first dibs on the beds on the ship we get." I offered.

"Deal." Nami said, shaking the hand I held out as we walked.

We got to the beach within a couple more minutes and I shoved Usopp down on a rock. I then turned to Nami who picked up his bag. She dug around for a minute before finding a set of cotton balls and tweezers. I gaped for a second before groaning and stepping away. I honestly thought he only kept stuff like the hook and rope or stuff for the slingshot in that bag. Nami held back a laugh before she bent down to Usopp.

"Keep still." Nami ordered as she started to clean his wounds. Usopp flinched and fidgeted, but tried to keep still. It didn't look bad and Nami was finished quickly. Then before I could stop her she tore a stip off cloth to tie around Usopp's arm. I would have saved her shirt by offering one of the cloths Kaya and I made, but I turned out to be too late.

"There, all done." Nami announced as she stood back up. She then spun on her heel to face me. "And you now owe me a bed." She smirked.

"I know." I groaned as I looked at Nami's work. It was pretty good. "I can find something to help with the pain if it becomes too much trouble." I offered.

"Okay." Usopp replied.

"So, how come you lied to them?" Luffy asked.

"Because all I do is lie." Usopp explained. It was dark now, and the moon was climbing into the sky. The water behind us was calm as Usopp exhaled. "There's no way anybody was gonna believe what I had to say. Why should they?"

"Because what you were telling them was the honest truth." Zoro stated.

"They are coming, and they're going to level this whole town." Nami said.

"Yeah, but what am I supposed to do. They'll think I'm lying if I try to warn them. Everyone in the village thinks tomorrow's just going to be another normal day." Usopp paused and clenched his fists as he turned his eyes to the ground. He then stood straight up and faced us. He had one hand clenched out in front of him. "They think I'm lying and that's all they need to think. I'm going to stop those pirates at the beach tomorrow myself. This is all my fault for being such a liar." Usopp declared before sitting back down and holding the bandages on his arm that went over his wristband.

"I don't care anymore if they drive me away with brooms or shoot me in the arm." His head was down, but I could hear him begin to cry. "This is my village. It's my home, and I love everyone in it. I. Have to. Protect them." Usopp cried. I then heard Zoro tighten his grip on his swords. Nami held up her hand and made a circle with her thumb and pointer finger. Meanwhile Luffy held onto his left shoulder with one hand and held out the other towards Usopp. I myself smiled and placed my hands on my hips.

"You're a hell of a good guy sending your cronies away and going into battle alone." Zoro announced.

"Just so you know, I have dibs on all the pirate treasure. You got it?" Nami declared.

"It would make quite the story." I grinned.

"So you want a little help or what?" Luffy asked. Usopp looked up at us as he covered one of his eyes. Tears streamed down his cheeks.

"You guys… You're gonna help me fight all these pirates? I don't get it." Usopp stammered.

"Well you said there's a whole bunch of bad guys, right?" Luffy questioned as he flexed the hand he held out.

"We can't just let them attack innocent people." I stated.

"And you look scared out of your mind." Zoro added.

"For your information I have nerves of steel! I am perfectly okay with tons of bad guys! After all, you're looking at the legendary Captain Usopp, brave warrior of the high seas." He had stopped crying, but as Usopp announced this his legs shook beneath him and I couldn't help but smile. "Dammit." Usopp whined as he hit his legs. They stopped shaking for a second before continuing. "Alright, fine. I'm scared. Why shouldn't I be, their Captain Kuro's men. These guys mean business. I don't need pity! If you guys are sticking around cause you pity me just leave. I don't need you laughing at me." Usopp stated.

"We're not laughing at you. We're helping because you are honorable." Zoro explained.

"You really think we'd risk our lives out of pity?" Luffy questioned. Usopp then stood up straight and watched us. New tears began to appear along his eyes as he started to cry again.

"You guys!" Usopp cried.

* * *

**That's all for this chapter.**

**A bit more insight on her mother, and a tiny bit of her past.**

**And if I made it too obvious you might know what happened to her mother.**

**You'll just have to wait and see if you're right.**

**SO...**

**If you read this please go review, love hearing from all my readers.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	10. Arrival of the Black Cat Pirates

After our talk we all began following Usopp up a slope.

"Okay. At daybreak the pirates will be landing at this shore to begin their attack. But the only way they'll be able to get to the village is to go up this slope. The rest of the shoreline is sheer cliffs so they have to come through here." We reached the top and stopped, listening to Usopp's plan. "If we can fight them while they're funneled into that narrow pass their numbers won't mean anything and the village will be protected."

"All right. Sounds pretty easy." Luffy commented.

"Talking about it is, but victory depends on our strength. What is it you guys can do?" Usopp asked.

"I cut." Zoro declared.

"I stretch." Luffy stated.

"I slice." I told him.

"I steal." Nami finished.

"I hide." Usopp told us nervously.

"Well this time you better fight!" We all yelled at him, Luffy even going so far as to put Usopp in a headlock.

"Just making a funny. Come on, calm down." Usopp pleaded.

"Don't you dare try anything tomorrow!" Nami growled.

"Just let him go Luffy. We don't want him to die before the actual fight." I walked over and began prying Luffy off Usopp.

Not too long after that we started with our plan. Usopp, Luffy, and Zoro went off and came back with three barrels filled with oil. They then tipped them over in different areas and they began pouring down the slope, covering it. The oil would make it slick and impossible to get up.

"Yup. I'm a genius. There's no way they'll be able to make it up this slope now." Usopp declared. "All this oil we put here should keep them occupied while we go to work on 'em. They're gonna be busy slipping and sliding around like a bunch of idiots. Then we show up and beat the crap out of them." Usopp explained.

"Wow. So that's your plan, huh?" Nami said as she walked towards the oil.

"That's right." Usopp declared. "I'm going to defend the village no matter what it takes."

"Let's just hope none of us slip on that oil and end up down there with them." Nami stated. "Because that would be like sliding into a meat grinder."

"Takara watch out." Luffy suddenly ordered.

"I'm not that stupid, Luffy." I glared at Luffy. He sat near the oil and was messing with it using his foot.

"Usopp, I gotta hand it to you. You're pretty good at fighting dirty." Luffy announced.

"Of course I am." Usopp began proudly. "There isn't anyone alive who can best me with a slingshot or beat me at the art of fighting dirty."

"I think he meant that literally." I mumbled in reference to the oil in front of us. There was a moment of silence as we all looked to Usopp.

"It's almost daybreak." Zoro declared as he looked over the horizon. "They're coming."

We all stood above the oil and waited. The wind began to blow in the trees above us. Soon the sun was rising and turning the sky blue. We continued to wait. We had been up the entire night, but I felt ready to do anything. The water crashed on the rocks below, but nothing else happened. Luffy soon crouched down to wait.

"Where are they? I thought we were gonna fight." Luffy whined as he stood back up. "The sun's up. What's the deal?"

"Maybe they overslept." Zoro suggested.

"No. They're gonna show up all right, and lots of them." Usopp declared. It wasn't long before I heard Nami gasp lightly. She then cupped her ears and walked in front of us.

"Wait a minute… Maybe I'm hearing things, but it sounds like battle cries from somewhere." Nami stated. I kept quiet and tried to listen with her. Sure enough, I could hear distant cries traveling on the wind. "Yeah, I definitely hear them."

"No. It can't be." Usopp muttered. I quickly turned to look at him.

"What can't be?" Zoro questioned.

"Uh. There's a shore just like this to the north… They went…" Usopp stammered as he held the sides of his head.

"We're at the wrong shore? That's not good!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Well this is where they had their secret meeting so I just assumed, okay?" Usopp said as he turned on Luffy. I heard Nami groan and watched her place a hand to her head.

"We need to hurry. Before they make it to the village. Where is it?" Luffy questioned.

"You have to head directly north from here. If you run you can make it in three minutes. The terrain there is almost exactly the same. All we need to do is stop them at the slope." Usopp explained.

"Don't you worry. We're gonna stop them." Luffy assured.

"Oh, no!" Nami yelled, catching all of our attention. "If those filthy pirates are at the north shore then they've already seen our boats! They'll take our treasure!" Nami announced.

"We gotta get over there." I declared.

"We'll be there in twenty seconds. Come on, Takara." Luffy quickly grabbed my arm and began dragging me behind him as we ran up the slope.

Soon Luffy had let go and we were running faster. It wasn't long before the slope was out of sight behind us. As we ran Luffy repeated 'run straight north' under his breath. We ran down a path, through a forest and I was hot on Luffy's heels. It wasn't long before we came to a stop overlooking the village. Luffy panted and tried to catch his breath and I could see the sun finally appearing on the horizon.

"This was definitely not north." I stated.

"The village, that can't be right." Luffy panted. "He said run north and I ran in a coldish direction so we should be at the shore."

"That's not how things work, Luffy." I groaned. "Why don't we ask for direction?" I said as I started walking forward.

"No!" Luffy declared.

"Why are you being so stubborn?" I questioned as I turned around and hit Luffy on the top of head with my fist.

"Because we'll find it on our own." He then grabbed my wrist and began dragging me again. This time I was less prepared.

"Luffy!" I yelled as I stumbled and tripped behind him.

We kept running for some more time. As Luffy dragged me I couldn't quite catch myself. If I couldn't even tell where I was going, how was I supposed to tell which direction we were going. It didn't help that Luffy continued to chant 'run straight north' under his breath. Suddenly Luffy ran into some kind of wall and I followed soon after. Together we tumbled backwards to the ground next to each other. We panted heavily as we stared up through the trees.

"Which way is north?" Luffy cried out as he sat up.

"Well this clearly isn't the shore." I groaned as I tried to catch my breath. Luffy groaned as well as I sat up next to him. He then stood up and pulled me up with him.

In seconds I was being dragged again, this time I was able to catch myself and run with him. We continued back down the path we took. Before long I noticed Zoro up ahead of us. I quickly grabbed Luffy's arm and tried to drag him back. Instead he turned and began to stumble. It wasn't long before we tripped over each other and were rolling along the path, all the way to Zoro's feet.

"Zoro!" Luffy cheered as he looked up at the man. Zoro had his bandanna on, covering his eyes in shadow.

"I thought you two would have been at the slope by now." Zoro told us as he pulled us to our feet.

"Rubber Head got us lost." I stated.

"He said go north! How was I supposed to know which way was north?!" He yelled.

"Then I guess it was Usopp's fault." I mumbled. I then looked up at the sky before pointing north. "Let's go that way." I stated. We then all took off running in the direction I pointed.

"How do you know which direction north is?" Zoro asked as we ran.

"I've learned a thing or two while being a pirate all my life. I don't just float around on a boat hoping that the winds lead me to the next port." I answered.

"That's why you're my first mate." Luffy stated.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure that's why you hired Nami as our navigator." I retorted.

Before long a steady amount of yelling could be heard ahead. As we got closer, it got louder. Zoro pulled out a sword, and I noticed Luffy get ready to stretch his arm. I instead reached up to my head and pulled my hair back into a ponytail, a little bit still hanging to the side of my head. A group of pirates could be seen ahead of us.

"Get ready to fight." Zoro declared.

We all jumped forward at the group of pirates now at the top of the slope. Zoro sent half of them back with one of his swords. I spun around, making a bone club come out of my palm. I knocked several guys in front of Luffy. Luffy then sent them all over down the slope with the ones Zoro had hit. I retracted the club and walked with them towards the edge of the slope. We stopped and looked down at everyone. I clenched my fist to stop the blood since now was not the time to wrap it with a battle about to start. Usopp was halfway down the slope while Nami lay off to our left. A whole bunch of pirates sat down at the bottom of slope watching us.

"Is that the best those pirates can dish out?" Zoro asked, he sounded out of breathe.

"Yeah, I was hoping for a challenge." Luffy panted. I looked down and around at the pirates. Kuro wasn't there.

"I think the challenge has yet to arrive." I commented.

"And you!" Zoro turned and glared at Nami. "After leaving me down there you're lucky I'm not kicking your butt too!" He growled.

"USOPP! YOU BIG BONE HEAD! YOU NEVER TOLD ME WHICH DIRECTION WAS NORTH!" Luffy fumed. I turned and glared at the boy before I slapped him upside the head.

"It's your own fault for not asking." He turned and glared at me as well.

"Well, it's about time." Nami commented.

"Wow, that was great! You guys are really that strong?" Usopp asked, astonished. Luffy took a few deep breathes before saying 'mhmm' and nodding.

"Could you have been slower? What took you so long?" Nami complained. Zoro turned and glared at her.

"You're the one who pushed me down that oil slick so you could get out." Zoro growled.

"It was an accident. I slipped, you fell. At least one of us made it out of there, that's better than both of us being stuck down at the bottom." Nami retorted.

"IT SHOULD HAVE JUST BEEN YOU!" Zoro growled.

"Run straight north he says. That's just great! I mean how am I supposed to know which way north even is out here, huh?" Luffy fumed, facing Usopp.

"Shut up." Both Usopp and I ordered.

"You're the one who ran away so sure of yourself, ready to take on anyone." Usopp continued.

"And dragging me along with you!" I added.

"Well I just go so excited I started running, ya know." Luffy told us, calmer now.

I turned and looked down toward all the pirates and their ship. Only one man stood down here and he was telling his forces something. He wore a blue coat with blue hat and I vaguely saw a beard and glasses. Most of the men pushed themselves back up. The man pulled something out of his coat pocket. It was round and the center was carved out.

"What's that?" I asked, looking down at it. The man began swinging the object back and forth like a pendulum.

"So what is he doing? It looks weird." I nodded in agreement to Luffy's statement.

"Looks like hypnosis. He's trying to convince them they're stronger than they are. Like that'll work." Nami complained.

"I've never met a hypnotist before." I awed. Hypnosis was awesome, except I never found anyone who could make it work on me. I stared down at the pendulum, and I watched tentatively.

"Stronger!" The man yelled. I could faintly hear him say 'one' and 'two'. Then he shouted. "JANGO!" All the pirates down there began shouting and cheering.

"No way!" Nami stated. One man turned and punched the cliff side. A huge chunk broke off and fell down to the ground. More cheers and shouts erupted from the pirates.

"That one guy completely destroyed the cliff! Now that's what I call power." Zoro announced.

"I always thought hypnotizing people was a bunch of crap." Nami commented.

"I think it's a pretty cool concept actually." I added.

"That was just one of them. Imagine what the whole crew can do." Usopp told us. I laughed a bit at his ignorance. I bet I could do that if I made my bones heavier, then again I'd probably end up hurting my hand.

"Bring it on." I laughed, smiling down at the pirates. Luffy stood completely silent beside me. I turned to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You ready?" I asked. He stood there motionless, his hands clenched into fists. I turned and looked down the slope. Pirates were running up toward us.

"Hey guys. You might want to move." Zoro said. He moved his sword in front of him. "Luffy, Takara, and I will take it from here." Usopp and Nami quickly got up and out of the way. We stood at the ready as pirates ran up toward us.

"Alright then. What now?" Zoro asked as we stood there. I heard a growl come from Luffy. I turned and looked at him.

"Luffy?" I asked, slightly worried.

"Uh... Luffy?" Zoro asked. Luffy's growl turned into a scream as he reached his arms up over his head. His expression was similar to the ones on the faces of the pirates running towards us. "Don't tell me you let that freak hypnotize you too!?" Zoro yelled.

"That is most likely what happened." I replied. Luffy then took off running down the slope, still screaming.

"Ugh! He really is a simple minded idiot!" I heard Nami comment behind me.

"Zoro, I think Luffy is gonna take it from here." I said as I glanced over at Zoro as he waited beside me. In seconds Luffy managed to take down all the pirates running up at us. He stopped and the pirates began pulling themselves up. Once they all stood facing Luffy, Luffy screamed and ran at them. The pirates screamed themselves and began running back down the slope.

"His plans are useless, yet effective." I declared, watching the Rubber Head. The rest of the pirates tripped and fell once they reached the bottom. He ran past the fallen pirates then ran straight past the hypnotist, who began cowering in fear. He ran straight for their ship.

"Where's he going?" Zoro asked.

"I think he's after the ship." I told him. Luffy ran at the ship and grabbed onto the front of it. I heard his screams and yells as he seemed to pull against the bow of the ship. After a moment the ship creaked.

"That's right! Tear it down!" Nami cheered. The boat continued to crack until it stopped. The whole bow of the ship broke off. Luffy turned and glared at the pirates.

"He's gonna crush us with it! Everybody run!" One of pirates yelled, all of them got up and began running up the slope again. Luffy wobbled back and forth, attempting to stay up. I heard Luffy stomp forward with the column of wood. The hypnotist quickly pulled the pendulum back out.

"One, two, Jango! You will fall asleep!" The man yelled. I watched as Luffy fell back to sleep, the giant bow falling on him, and hitting most of the other pirates. A giant cloud of smoke erupted below us. Once it had cleared, pirates lay in every direction. Luffy lay at the very end, asleep.

"Wow." I thought aloud.

"Looks like those guys are probably down for the count, don't ya think?" Nami asked. She stood on the edge of the cliff next to us. Usopp stood with her, his arm over Nami's shoulder.

"I guess." Zoro answered.

"Maybe, but Luffy's still trapped underneath that cat. Just look." Usopp commented.

"Relax, he's fine. You should really worry about your own injuries by the looks of it." Zoro told the man.

"He's just taking a nap." I pointed out as I noticed his faint snoring. I watched as the hypnotist slowly stood up. "How did that hypnotist not get crushed?"

"What the hell?" I looked over at the ship a new voice had come from.

"Come forth! Meowban Brothers!" The hypnotist yelled. Two figures jumped out of the ship and landed on the bow near the hypnotist. One of the figures was quite round and had on a cape while the other had green hair and a hunch. They also both looked like cats, except the bigger one had a cow bell.

"Siam!" The green haired cat man announced.

"And Buchi!" The bigger cat man continued.

"Together we are the Meowban Brothers! At your service." They simultaneously told the hypnotist.

"Are they serious?" I asked, turning towards the rest of my crew.

"They look ridiculous." Nami told me.

"Agreed." I laughed. I stopped when I noticed the 'Meowban Brothers' cowering away from us.

"No way, we couldn't do that! They look too strong, right Buchi?" Siam declared as he cowered.

"Oh yeah, they're strong. Way stronger than us." Buchi replied.

"Huh?" Zoro muttered.

"Besides we just guard the ship! Not fight people." Siam stated.

"He's got a point. We're really not the guys you want to send into battle." Buchi added.

"Wait, I'm confused." I said as I took a step back

"So they're a couple of pansies. I guess they're not the trump card after all." Usopp told us. The hypnotist yelled at the two.

"The guys crying like a baby. What are they doing down there? Of all people why force that guy to fight?" Nami asked as Siam ran up to us.

"It's pathetic. Is he really going to hurt us?" I asked. I stopped talking and began listening in on what the man had been saying.

"I'm going to tear you up with these claws. You just wait and see. I'm a vicious killing machine, and I'm coming for you. You bad people!" Siam cried as he ran.

"You come any closer and I'll cut you in half! I'm not joking!" Zoro yelled as he prepared his sword. "I'll do it." Suddenly Siam stopped wailing and his head dropped to hide his eyes.

"Not likely." Siam declared, his tone entirely different. I jumped out of the way as he flew past towards Zoro. Zoro quickly blocked one of Siam's claws. "Too bad. It seems you fell for my little ruse." Siam quickly jumped back away from Zoro and as he landed I noticed the two swords now on his back. "I'm impressed you blocked me considering what a brilliant performance I gave. Don't let the teeny bit of skill you have cause you to underestimate Siam of the Meowban brothers." Siam then licked the hand that he had close to his face.

"Zoro, your-" Before I could finish Zoro caught on. He looked down to where his swords should be, noticed that they were gone, and looked back to Siam.

"Are you missing something? Not that I would know anything about it." Siam stated.

"The level of dedication this man has to being a cat is grossing me out." I said quietly under my breath as I shivered.

"You got that right." Nami replied, hearing my comment.

"Gimme my swords back." Zoro demanded.

"Your swords? But you already have a sword. How greedy can you be?" Siam asked. Siam then pulled the swords off his back and looked at them. "Say goodbye swords. Goodbye!" He then threw the swords down the slope behind him. They clattered against the ground as Siam licked his lips. "Now, I feel lighter." He declared. Zoro's anger peaked and he ran at Siam.

"You should take care with other people's things!" Zoro yelled.

He sliced Siam before running past him to get his swords. He didn't get far before Siam was on him once more. He landed on Zoro's back and grabbed his arms.

"You really have to be faster because I'm agile as a cat." Siam stated as he held onto Zoro. Zoro fell to the ground, sliding on his stomach for several feet after he landed.

"Buchi, your up! Get in here." Sham called to his brother. Buchi began running up towards us, the cowbell rattling at his neck.

"Sure thing Siam!" Buchi yelled. He jumped up and began falling back down with his foot sticking out, prepared to kick Zoro.

I quickly ran towards the group as I made my bones heavier. Once I was close enough and the timing was right, I jumped and knocked Buchi and I away from Zoro and into the slope wall. Dust and debris flew up as we formed a crater. Zoro managed to escape Zoro and get back up the slope. I quickly pried myself from the crater and moved to stand with him.

"You okay, Takara?" Zoro asked as I stopped next to him. I bent down and brushed off the dirt that had gathered on my pants.

"Okay for now." I replied as I turned to face the brothers below us. Buchi had gotten out of the crater as well.

"It's gonna be harder with two." Siam began. "You take down her first." He pointed towards me. I smiled happily.

"I'm flattered." I stated, acting innocently.

"They're both strong so we should act carefully." Siam continued. "We'll get them for sure this time." Siam declared, showing off his claws threateningly.

"You got that right." Buchi commented, doing the same with his claws. I noticed that their claws were just attached to gloves.

"One sword techniques not my forte fellas, but what the hell." Zoro declared, getting his sword ready.

"Let's do this." I smiled as I sent a bone out of my right palm to make a sword.

"Let's go, Buchi!" Siam yelled.

"Right Siam! Let's do it!" Buchi yelled in response. I held up my sword as the brothers yelled something in unison before jumping at us. At the last second Zoro jumped in front of me and began blocking all of their attacks.

"Hey!" I yelled.

"Sit back and let me handle this." He declared. I quickly moved back as Zoro handled the brothers himself. Suddenly something flew by my face. A split second later Zoro's back bent as something hit it. A nice round ball had hit his back. I turned around and ran for Usopp.

"What were you thinking!?" I yelled as I ran towards him. I heard Zoro get struck by the brother's claws and fly back. I quickly stopped directly below Usopp.

"You're supposed to shot at the bad guys, you idiot!" Nami yelled at him.

"But I did." Usopp stated.

"Zoro got in the way on purpose." I told Usopp as I glanced back at the man sitting on the slope behind me.

"But why would he do that?" Nami asked, looking out at the fallen swordsmen.

"You dumb ass." Zoro grunted. "Don't help me. You wanna die?" He then went back to fending off the brothers on coming attacks.

"Let him do what he does best." I told Usopp, keeping an eye on all of Zoro's moves. As I retracted my sword I pulled out one of the new cloths and began wrapping it around my palm.

"It's just a thought, but maybe it was the two of us that got saved." Nami stated. "If you had actually hit one of those guys they would have come after us instead. And we wouldn't have had a chance holding up against that." That's probably why he took on both brothers instead of letting me help.

"What a guy. All this time he was worried about us." Usopp told us. I looked up at him.

"Why wouldn't he be?" I asked before I turned and began walking down the slope. No one seemed to notice as I strolled past them. Then out of nowhere I watched as Nami ran past me. I saw a glint of light from the hypnotist.

"No, Nami!" I yelled, but it was too late. A second before she got to the swords the hypnotist had reached her and sliced her back with his pendulum. Blood spurted from her back as she crashed to the ground.

"Nami!" Usopp yelled behind me. The bone sword soon reformed in my hand, cutting through the cloth, as I ran for the hypnotist.

"What do you need swords for?" I heard him ask. He looked up before screaming and I skid to a halt as I saw a figure in the reflection of his glasses. I spun around to see Kuro standing at the top of the hill.

"No. I'm sorry. I'm can explain all of this." I heard the hypnotist's voice falter. The brothers fighting Zoro had stopped fighting to scream at the sight of Kuro as well. Kuro pushed up on his glasses as I notice a large duffle bag in his hands.

"The night has long since passed. So why is it that you seem to have made no progress on the plan." Kuro demanded. I heard the pirates below us freaking out at the sight of him. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?" He roared.

* * *

Kuro's fight in the next chapter.

It'll be fun!

Okay, well that's all.

Review for me! I love it when you do.

Thanks for reading.


	11. Captain Kuro and Luffy

I stared up at Captain Kuro who held a large duffle bag in his left hand. Everyone had stopped fighting and was now looking up at him. Kuro seemed to terrify everyone, including his crew. He would be a strong opponent, but in comparison to my father's crew he wouldn't be that much. Not to mention that from what I had gathered he wasn't supposed to be here.

"Nami, you okay?" I asked, breaking the thick silence. She let out a grunt that sounded like a yes. With that I began to walk up the slope, going around anyone in my way.

"To think that these brats have held you back." Kuro began, dropping his bag next to him. "How the Black Cat Pirates have fallen." He reached up and adjusted his glasses. Veins popping out of his forehead. "What have you got to say for yourself? JANGOOO!" He yelled.

"But... uh... Well... I... You said... Uh, sorry sir... but... you said letting the kid go wouldn't cause any problems." The hypnotist, Jango, stammered as he let out a nervous laugh. I walked past Zoro, heading straight up towards Kuro. Zoro turned his sword so that it's side would bump my ankle. I stopped and looked over at him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Zoro asked in a low tone.

"You're busy, Luffy's out, and I'm pretty sure Nami and Usopp wouldn't be able to stop him if he suddenly decided to attack." I whispered.

"You sure you can take him?" Zoro continued.

"I'll at least be able to stop him." I stated before continuing up the slope.

"I did say that. What's your point? He's an idiot. I knew no one would listen to his warnings and he would come stumbling back to take a stand against us. But the one thing I hadn't taken account for was YOUR inexcusable weakness." Kuro retorted as I tuned back into the conversation. No one moved.

"Sir, we're not weak. It's just that..." Jango began, but couldn't find the right words.

"Who are you to call us weak?" Siam blurted out.

"Watch what you say, Captain Kuro." Buchi commented. I heard their claws scratch against each other behind me.

"You used to be quite the killer, but face it Kuro. It's been three years, and we haven't exactly been living the good life waiting on a rich girl hand and foot." Siam continued.

"Yeah, that's right. For three long years we've been out sinking pirate ships and massacring villages." Buchi agreed. No one seemed to care as I stopped a few feet in front of Kuro.

"Very good, finished?" Kuro asked, looking down at the Meowban brothers.

"NO! You've done nothing this whole time! We've been killing!" Siam started yelling.

"You butler, there's no way you can beat the Meowban brothers!" Buchi declared. I looked over my shoulder and watched as they sped past Zoro toward me and Kuro.

"No, don't! Buchi! Siam! Stop!" Jango called out. I turned back to Kuro and watched as he bent down to grab his bag.

"You are not our captain, anymore!" Siam laughed as he ran up the slope, claws at the ready.

"So sorry, but we have to kill you!" Buchi yelled. They continued to yell as they ran towards us. Kuro hoisted up his bag in front of him. I quickly ducked out of the way towards Usopp as the brothers got closer. I watched Kuro's feet as they bounced around and began to move faster. Suddenly his bag was sliced apart and he was gone. He had grabbed the contents of the bag and disappeared instantly. My father had told me about people like this, they moved so fast that you can't even see them coming. I had watched many battles like this. I couldn't go this fast even if I tried. It wouldn't turn out so great though. Despite his invisible speed, I could see Kuro as he moved.

He moved too fast to be noticed by everyone. I watched him slip on a pair of gloves with swords attached to the ends of the fingers. That must have been what was in the bag. He then moved around the brothers and slowly came to a stop between them, but in front of Zoro. As soon as he stopped his blades slowly became unsheathed as gravity pulled them off. The sheath's clattered to the ground.

"What.. He's behind them... How the hell did he? And what's with those crazy weapons?" I heard Zoro ask. He was surprised at first, but now he seemed angry.

"Who? Who are you going to kill?" Kuro questioned as he held up his bladed fingers. They clanged as he spread them out above him.

"He snuck up…" Siam began as the brothers spun back around to face Kuro.

"Right behind us." Bunchi finished. It wasn't long before Kuro was gone again. This time he took longer. He moved back around and stood behind Siam and Buchi, who were now facing Zoro. He put his arms around their shoulders and flexed his hands out. The blades on his thumbs reaching the two's mouths. It was a simple tactic. He depended on being fast, out of sight. If he wasn't able to do that he used his blades to get what he wanted. Like most pirates, but just a bit smarter than most. The complete opposite of Luffy for one. A smile played at my lips at the thought.

"You know, you're right. I do feel a bit sluggish after all these years." Kuro told the brothers. Then it was silent again. In this time I noticed Nami climb back to her feet, a hand clutching her shoulder. "You're very lucky. I'm feeling somewhat merciful. Maybe these years on dry land have made me soft." Kuro paused and I noticed tears streaming down the brother's faces as they were terrorized. "I'll give you five minutes." Kuro pulled his claws away and stepped back. "If you can't deal with the situation here in five minutes then I'll kill every last one of you." Kuro continued to step back before stopping and turning his arms up so that his claws pointed up. "Now have I made myself clear?"

"Oh, yes… Yes, of course. Perfectly clear. Thank you… for being so forgiving." Jango stammered again. "All we have to do is take care of this one guy and a girl… That's all. Five minutes will be more than enough time for them." Jango laughed nervously. Seconds later, Siam and Buchi were running back down the slope towards Zoro. As they did I walked towards Kuro who stood waiting.

"You're going to die with all your friends." Kuro told me. I shrugged and looked down at Zoro.

"We're counting on you! Kill him! Kill him dead!" Jango yelled. Nami then walked past Jango towards Zoro's other swords.

"ZORO!" Nami called. She stepped on one end of the swords before hooking her other foot under them and kicking them up towards Zoro.

"Hey, easy there! You can't just kick them! Those are my swords!" Zoro shouted back as his swords flew towards him.

"How about a thanks?" Nami suggested.

"Yeah. I appreciate it." Zoro stated. He threw the sword he had up as he spun and caught the other two. He stuck the white hilted one in his mouth as the first sword dropped back down to his hand. With his three swords ready I glanced back to Kuro.

"He'll be fine. I just wanted to tell you something." I said as I turned and stood next to him, facing out towards everyone.

"And what would you like to say?" Kuro asked. I watched as Zoro cut both brothers down in one slash of his swords. "The clock is ticking." He called out to everyone before I could answer.

"I just wanted to let you know that Usopp over there…" I pointed to the injured man off to our left.

"Yeah. What about that-" I interrupted Kuro before he could call Usopp anything.

"His father works for a Yonko." I stated simply. I heard Kuro freeze up for a second before laughing.

"This is clearly another lie he fabricated for you to tell me." He laughed.

"Nope. I saw it with my own eyes. Even met him while he was on the Yonko's crew. The captain's name is Red Haired Shanks." He continued to laugh, not believing me.

"Yeah, and you must be his daughter." If he actually understood what he was saying he'd know who I was. Guess some people are just too blind to see things right in front of their eyes. I mean seriously, look at my hair…

I shrugged as I began walking down towards Luffy. He was still sound asleep under the bow of the ship. Buchi on the other hand had been enhanced and was now after Zoro. Jango was smiling wickedly at his craftsmanship. I managed to pass by them unnoticed. When I got to Nami we made eye contact as I passed. She gave me a smirk and I smiled wide. In an instant we both took off at a run straight down the slope. As we ran she ended up on the side of the bow that had Luffy. I quickly jumped up onto the bow and ran along it. I laughed before jumping off in front of her.

"No fair!" She called, still holding her shoulder. I peered over my shoulder and stuck my tongue out.

"Well I'm gonna wake hi- ACK!" While I was occupied calling over my shoulder my foot caught on a rock and suddenly I was falling. I heard Nami laughing as she reached Luffy.

"Get up you bum!" Nami yelled. I pushed myself up and looked toward her.

"Dang it! I lost!" I groaned. I then turned and looked back up the slope.

"Look out!" Zoro yelled. In that instant Jango's bladed pendulum flew past me. It missed by mere inches. I quickly spun around.

"NAMI!" I called. She was going to get hit!

"Dodge it quick!" Zoro continued. Suddenly Nami was pulled off her feet and her ankle lifted above her head. Luffy was now in her place, and he looked angry.

"Nami! You cannot just go around stepping on people's eye!" As soon as Luffy had finished that sentence he was hit by the pendulum blade. I gasped as I pushed myself to my feet. I stumbled a bit before getting over to the two.

"No. How is that twerp still alive?" Jango asked. Luffy was always the center of attention, even when he didn't mean to be. I managed to catch Nami before she hit the ground. Luffy quickly straightened back up and I watched as the pendulum cracked and shattered in Luffy's mouth. He then crunched down with his teeth and all the pieces went falling out of his mouth.

"Luffy!" Nami announced.

"Stop falling asleep all the time, Rubber Head." I said. That's when I noticed a small cut at the corner of his mouth from the disk. He began poking at it as I moved over to him.

"OOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed in pain. I quickly hit him upside the head.

"It's just a small cut. You'll survive. We can deal with it and everyone else's injuries after the fight. Okay?" He nodded slowly. His face then went back to anger as he looked over at Nami.

"That hurt you jerk! Why'd you do that!?" Luffy yelled.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty! That wasn't me!" Nami yelled, back. I was got in the center. My ears were about to explode.

"Please, can we STOP yelling!" I started yelling as well. Nami then collapsed to the ground beside us.

"Nami!" I stepped over and bent down as she groaned in pain, still clutching her shoulder tightly. I removed her hand and slid her shirt off her shoulder a bit. I quickly pulled out one of the cloths from my belt and began wrapping it around Nami's shoulder.

"You okay? Nami, did you get hurt? Let me see it." Luffy asked looking over us. The cloth turned slightly red, but it seemed to stop the blood.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm fine." She lied. "I've done everything I can now. The rest is up to you." She let out another groan.

"Nami, stop pushing yourself." I told her as I fixed her shirt.

"Look, we have to win. We can't afford to lose this fight, do you understand?" Luffy nodded. "Do it for the treasure." In a second Luffy's face was happy, then went into a state of confusion.

"Well, all right, sure." Luffy told her. I held back a smile as he began walking away.

"You should go help." Nami grunted.

"I will if you promise to stay here and rest." I ordered as I looked at the blood and tear in her shirt.

"Okay, go. Win this, and protect my treasure." Nami told me. I nodded before standing up and joining Luffy who had gone to pick up his hat.

"Yeah, yeah. The treasure, I get it." Luffy said as I walked away with him.

"You ready for this?" I asked.

"The nap helped." He replied as we walked towards the slope. The pirates around us quickly moved out of our way as we walked past.

"I'm coming for you, Straw Hat!" Jango called as we stopped.

"Time's up. You knew the deal." Kuro announced as he lowered his hands, and their blades. "Now you die." He flexed out his fingers as we looked up to the top of the slope at him.

"Hey, wait. Why is that shady butler here?" Luffy questioned.

"He's the captain of these cat pirates, Captain Kuro." I answered quietly. Soon he was on his toes again and looked like he was about to do his speed attack again.

"Don't ever sneak up on me, unless you want to die." I heard Kuro suddenly say as he spun around towards someone not quite in sight yet.

"KAYA!" Usopp yelled as he ran towards Kuro and the person coming up behind him. What was Kaya doing here!? By the looks of it Usopp managed to tackle Kaya out of the way as Kuro slashed towards him. They were just out of sight and if they were talking, it couldn't be heard near us.

"Do you think he got her out of the way?" I asked after a moment, nudging Luffy.

"I dunno." Luffy replied as he crossed his arms.

"You're so helpful." I huffed as I crossed my arms too.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luffy questioned. He unfolded his arms and turned back to face me.

"I was asking what you thought, and I forgot that you don't." I answered.

"I don't thought?" Luffy continued, clearly confused.

"Luffy, oh my g-..." I stopped when I heard a cry from the top of the slope.

"I won't! You're still here fighting!" Kaya cried. "I won't run!"

"I think he got her out of the way." Luffy declared with a grin towards me. I groaned as my head dropped to look towards the ground.

"Sure sounds like it." I said with a smile as I looked back up at Luffy.

"I knew he would." Luffy laughed slightly. I scoffed before we turned our attention back to the top of the slope.

"Stop! Stop this right now, Klahadore!" Kaya yelled. Then things went silent as a breeze went by. The breeze caused the back of Kuro's coat to float back and wave in the wind. "I know what you're up to. Merry already told me about everything." Kaya stated as she stood up, coming slightly into view. My arms dropped back to my sides as Luffy's smile disappeared.

"The whole reason that we're here is to murder that little rich girl." One of the pirates behind us announced.

"If she's here then we don't have to go to the village." A second pirate said.

"All we gotta do is kill her, right?" A third asked.

"Klahadore, please. If you want my fortune you can have it. Take it all and leave this village right now. I'm begging you!" Kaya pleaded.

"I will gladly accept your fortune Miss Kaya. Thank you." Kuro replied. He then reached up and pushed up his glasses, his blades pointing away from his face. "But I want more. You see, simply acquiring wealth isn't enough. More than anything else, what I want is peace."

"You want peace?" Kaya mumbled.

"Yes, just peace of mind. It's simple really. I've spent the last three years earning the trust of the entire village, and to be honest I find this new sense of peace and tranquility quite comforting." Kuro paused for a moment, his hand still next to his face from adjusting his glasses. "When my plan comes to fruition I will live with this sublime peace of mind." Kuro finished causing Kaya to back out of view.

"Yes, the glorious comfort of a peaceful life…" Kuro stated as he held out his arms wide. He then brought them back down to cross in front of him. "Will be mine for forever and ever. In short, these pirates are coming, and you will leave leave your fortune to me and die. Miss Kaya, these things will happen." Kuro announced.

"What's the plan?" I asked Luffy as more voices came from the top of the slope. Moments later I could see the glint of a gun in Kaya's hand.

"Leave here right now and never come back!" Kaya ordered. I watched Kuro's shoulders bob as faint voice replied to Kaya. "Stop it! Just leave. Go!" Kuro continued to speak, but it was too faint to hear. Clearly what he was saying was just to Kaya. I heard the clack of Kuro's blades as one of his gloves was pulled off. He continued to talk as he walked towards Kaya. He soon placed his hands on Kaya's gun. Not even a moment later he had taken it from her. I moved to step forward but Luffy grabbed my wrist.

"No, Takara." Luffy told me as I was pulled back to stand next to him. The gun was dropped as it looked like Kaya started to cry.

"Can you understand the rage created by those transgressions against my pride?" Kuro questioned.

"KURO!" Usopp yelled as he grabbed the gun and stood between Kuro and Kaya. He aimed the gun at Kuro and fired. Kuro quickly dodged using his speed technique. In seconds he had put his glove back on and moved behind Usopp. He then placed his blades around Usopp's head, only having to use on glove.

"Usopp, I owe you for hitting me." Kuro began. "Let's get even."

"Can I go now?" I requested, Luffy still holding onto my wrist.

"We'll do this together." Luffy stated as he let go. A smile exploded across my face as I ran up the slope, ducking down to gather speed. Within seconds I skidded to a halt at Kaya's feet. I then jumped up, got my feet up high and wrapped my legs around Kuro's neck. I created two blades from my index fingers and placed them right above his eyes. Hovering just over his eyebrows.

"You're gonna find out why you don't hurt my friends." I growled. Suddenly a fist was stretched all the way up towards us. It met with Kuro's face and I was knocked off. As I fell I was able to make a small cut right above his left eye before the bones retracted. I jumped back up off the ground instantly and glared down at Luffy.

"Some warning next time perhaps!" I yelled, I heard his laugh echo.

"I like it better this way. Your face when it happened was awesome!" He exclaimed. I growled down at him as he continued. "If he hates getting hit that much he's about to have a really bad day." Luffy announced causing me to smile. Fighting had always been better with Luffy.

* * *

**That's all.**

**Please review, I love hearing from you all.**

**Hope you liked it!**

**Have a nice day!**

**Thanks for reading.**


	12. A Strong Opponent and a Scar

I turned my head to look down at Kuro's body. He lay there, no movement, no sound, nothing. His crew at the bottom of the slope yelled out statements about Luffy and his rubberiness. As I looked back at Kuro, I noticed that his glasses were cracked and he held a strong scowl. When I looked up I was shocked to see the three kids from earlier. Carrot, Pepper, and Onion jumped towards Kuro. I quickly stepped away from Kuro and the boys as they announced their arrival.

"The Usopp pirates, have arrived!" They yelled. Once they finished they all banged their assorted weapons on Kuro's head. There was an echoed clang, and frankly it looked like it hurt.

"No, don't!" Usopp yelled, a bit late.

"Stay away!" Kaya screamed. The kids didn't listen as they continued to beat Kuro with their weapons. They all yelled an assortment of remarks.

"No! Stop it!" Usopp continued to yell. Those kids were gonna get killed. "You don't know what you're doing. Stop. Stop!" Soon the kids stopped and panted. They stood over Kuro, looking down at his battered face.

"Alright, this time we'll let you off without anymore brutality. This time." One of the kids growled. I looked past them at Kuro. His face was even more scratched up and blood trickled from the cut I had given him. His glasses were practically shattered.

"Those dummy brats!" Jango yelled.

"Captain. I knew it, you were fighting. Gosh! That is so totally awesome." The Carrot kid said as he ran over to Usopp without further delay. Kaya sat on the ground between them. Once they were out of the way I walked over to Kuro. He continued to lay still. His arms, and blades, stretched far out to his sides.

"I thought there were no secrets between us pirates. Why didn't you tell us?" The Pepper kid added.

"That's right, we're supposed to tell each other everything." The Onion kid finished. As I got closer I noticed that his eyes were narrowed. The white's of his eyes emphasizing the fierceness coming from his dark eyes. They were locked onto the kids by Usopp.

"Who care's about that?" Usopp questioned. "Look, this is important. You guys gotta get outta here. Run!" Usopp ordered.

"No way!" Carrot shouted.

"We have to stay and fight with you." Pepper said.

"The Usopp pirates will be shamed if we run in fear." Onion stated.

I quickly ran towards the kids and I stepped in front of them just as Kuro stood up. He readjusted his glasses to have the remaining glass shatter and crumble out of it's frame. The kids screamed behind me as Kuro glared at them, looking straight through me. It sent a chill up my spine, but my father's glare could make your blood run cold.

"You idiots. Don't scream, run!" Usopp announced, but the kids continued to scream as Kuro walked toward us. Then out of nowhere he turned and walked around our small group.  
"What?" I mumbled to myself as Kuro stopped in front of Usopp. No! I got his target wrong. In the next second Usopp groaned in pain as Kuro kicked him back. Usopp flew several feet down the slope before sliding.

"Captain!" The kids screamed as Usopp laid on his side.

"That hurt." Kuro declared. "Hmm... my, my that's quite a strange technique you've developed there... Tell me something. Do you have powers from eating the devil fruit?" Kuro questioned as I stepped forward and stood beside Kuro.

"Yep, I'm a rubber man." Luffy answered.

"And I'm a bone woman." I added before smiling at Kuro with my teeth becoming sharp. All the pirates from Kuro's crew started yelling and screaming.

"He ate the devil fruit!" One pirate cried.

"That guy's dangerous." A second one declared.

"Those devil fruit people are real." A third said.

"He's got rubber arms of death!" A fourth announced.

"Jango!" Kuro yelled after a moment.

"Sir!" Jango replied. His attention turned away from Luffy and up towards the man next to me.

"I can handle the boy and this girl. You take care of Miss Kaya like we planned." Kuro reached his blades out in front of him. He placed his hands together causing his blades to clang. "Have her write her butler into her will." Another clang echoed out as he stretched his fingers out to make a perfect circle with his blades. "Then kill her. As for the kids. They're an eyesore. Eliminate them." That's when it snapped.

A set of bones that matched Kuro's blades shot out of my fingers, but each had a serrated edge. Once they had, I spun around and held my hand in front of Kuro. The bone extended from my index finger stopped at the tip of his nose. The others were spread out below that. The middle bone sat near his throat. Then out of the corner of my eye I noticed Zoro holding out one of his swords to stop Jango as he walked up the slope.

"You'll pay for saying that." I growled.

"Stop right there." I heard Zoro declare. "If you want to get to them you'll have to make it through me first."

"Buchi!" Jango called. I could hear growling before a loud crash as what must have been a fight began behind me. I stayed focused on Kuro as he turned to look down at me.

"Copying me. What a childish tactic. You wouldn't last a second against me." Kuro let out a slight laugh.

"Ha! I guess you're right. Yet, I don't believe you." I turned my head up to glare at him. "You see, I'm very protective of the people I care about and I don't really appreciate you threatening them." I heard footsteps, and sent out my other hand to stop Jango as he tried to pass us and get to Kaya. I felt him bump my blades before stopping. Despite the action I stayed focused on Kuro's hideous face.

"USOPP PIRATES!" Usopp yelled, catching everyone's attention.

"Yes, sir?" The three kids replied. They sat next to Kaya.

"I need you to listen carefully." Usopp began.

"Look we're not running." Carrot stated.

"Not after they did this to you." Pepper added.

"We will avenge you." Onion declared.

"Protect Kaya." Usopp continued. "Do as I say. Don't argue with me. I'm giving you the most important task there is right now. It's absolutely critical that you succeed. Take Kaya and get away from here. You must keep her safe. This is the reason we want to be pirates. To protect what's dear to us. So do as I say and run!" Usopp cried out in his weakened state. "Now go. That's a direct order."

"Yes, Captain." The three kids cried back.

"Kaya hurry." Carrot ordered as he got up to help Kaya up.

"This way!" Onion said as he took her hand and lead her away.

"Come on, let's go!" Pepper stated as he joined them.

"Jango." Kuro began sternly, catching my attention.

"Yeah. Sorry, I was gawking." Jango replied as I glanced over.

"Why don't we prove your earlier statement?" Kuro suggested as he raised a hand up and moved my bone blades away from the area around his face using his blades.

Once my blades had been lowered he sliced his other hand towards me. I jumped up and over them before slicing my own towards his face. We stopped for a moment. One of my blades gently hovered over his throat. One of his blades was pointed at my heart. We watched each other for a moment. I then jumped back, cutting off his tie as I jumped away. I quickly made my bones heavy as I landed. I then looked around to find Jango gone.

"Oh, look at that. It seems I cut your tie off." I stated innocently. I bent down and picked up the fabric from the ground with my blades. He scowled at me before turning towards Usopp.

"Their attempt at escape is futile. We know all too well how weak Kaya is. There is no way they can possibly escape Jango. Now if you want to help her go ahead, but first you'll have to get off this hill alive." Kuro then turned back to face me with a smirk on his face. That's when I looked down to see a cut along my collarbone. "You didn't even feel it." He laughed. "I could stab you and you'd die without feeling it."

"Possibly." I smirked. "Except that also means I can take a lot of hits which should give me more than enough time to defeat you." I narrowed my eyes at him.I then followed his gaze down to where was fighting Buchi.

Just as I suspected it didn't take long for Zoro to beat Buchi. He then cockily threw his swords up and let them drop into their sheathes that he held out. As they clicked Buchi's body dropped. Not even a moment later a gunshot echoed in the forest. Birds exploded from the trees, flying away.

"Wait, what was that sound?" Usopp asked as he pushed himself up.

"That is the sound of destruction. Jango's probably tearing the place apart." Kuro announced. "Go ahead, see for yourself. If you can get up."

"Shut it." I growled.

"Heartless bastard... Don't you even have a shred of pity... You lived with that girl for three years." I heard Usopp tell Kuro.

"No, I've told you. Kaya is nothing more than a pawn in the game I intend to win. When she's dead, then I'll be grateful to her." Kuro replied. I slowly raised my hand back up to his throat as I walked around to face him directly. This time I pointed all the blades on one hand at his throat.

"Shut. The. Hell. Up." I growled. "Other wise, your gonna lose your thr-"

"Takara." I turned my head to look down towards Luffy. I kept my arm up next to Kuro's throat. Luffy stood farther up the slope now. "It'll be fine. Kaya is all right." I clenched my jaw for a moment as I decided what to do. I then nodded as I lowered my arm and released the heaviness of my bones. "Re-"

Luffy's next sentence was cut off as four long blades sliced across my back. Their cold touch broke through my skin, cutting from my right shoulder down to my left hip. The blades had cut deep into my back, leaving large gashes. I felt warm blood take the place of the cold blades as I gasped at the sudden attack. My knees gave out and I found myself falling forward as I started choking on the pain that burned my back.

"Did you feel that?" Kuro asked and I could practically hear the smirk in his voice. Before I could reply I hit the ground. My blades retracted as blood flowed across my back and onto the slope. The cold slope contradicted the burning of my back as the world dimmed around me. Noises merged and the world blurred until everything went black.

* * *

The black slowly began disappearing. Noises were still muffled as I tried to blink away the blur in my vision. Damn, I let my guard down. I felt a breeze blow past as my vision began to clear. After that it took my eyes a moment to adjust to the bright light reflecting against the stone on the slope. I slowly tried to push myself up. With each movement my back screamed at me until I settled back into a sitting position. I had stumbled a few times, my arms trying to give out. I felt lightheaded as I tried to look over the scene in front of me.

Luffy stood just down the slope with Kuro. They both looked down at the pirate crew at the bottom of the slope. Luffy had his hands on his hips and a few scratches on his cheeks. Kuro was completely missing all the blades from his right glove. I groaned as I tried to push myself to my feet. I stumbled slightly and wobbled on my feet as I tried to hold myself up. A large pool of blood covered the ground near my feet.

"You guys are dumb. The most uncool pirates I know." I heard Luffy's voice say as words formed from the muffled noises I heard.

"We're uncool, huh?" Kuro questioned.

"I'd have to agree. You practically stabbed me in the back, and that is severely uncool." I managed to say as I started to gain my energy back.

"Takara, you should really take it easy." Luffy ordered.

"Nah, I got a bone or two to pick with the Old Butler." I smiled as I tried to stand up straight.

"Pirates are nothing more than savages. Incapable of rising against their animal nature. Without my plans what could they possibly accomplish. A crew is nothing to me. They are simply a means to an end. Crew members are just pawns in the Captain's game. Whether my men live or die is up to me and me alone. If I tell them to fight they will fight, and if I order them to die they had better do it. They know the punishment for disobedience." Kuro announced.

"Captain Rubber Head usually never has a plan." I explained as I tried to walk down to where he and Koro stood.

"Hey!" Luffy shouted, a pout on his lips.

"It's true." I said before sticking my tongue out at him. "Not to mention that we aren't all that savage and…" I paused as I stopped next to Luffy. "I am nobody's pawn."

"We're a crew, there are no pawns." Luffy added. Moments later Kuro growled, glaring at us.

"This is how pirates are! Don't you dare talk down at me, girl!" Kuro yelled before continuing to growl.

"Y'know no matter how many hundreds or thousands of men follow you as their captain. You will never be as good as Usopp." Luffy declared and as he said this I noticed that Usopp and Zoro were nowhere to be seen.

"You fool. Are you saying that I am inferior to a kid pretending to be a pirate?" Kuro questioned.

"That's right." Luffy answered, causing Kuro to burst out laughing.

"Well aren't you funny." Kuro said as he paused his laughter.

"Quite hilarious." I added quietly.

"Don't get all cocky just because you snapped off one of my cat claws." Kuro declared. Soon he started to bounce his feet around like earlier. "How exactly is he better than me? Let's hear it." As Kuro finished he disappeared.

"Cause he's got heart." Luffy stated. It was still a little hazy but I could see Kuro move behind Luffy, holding his one set of claws back to swipe.

"Has got what?" Kuro asked. I turned towards his voice and smiled.

"Something you clearly lack." I replied as Luffy planted his feet. I stepped around him as he swung his arm forward so that it could stretch.

"A guy like you doesn't know what a true pirate is." Luffy announced. He then swung his arm around and hit Kuro, sending him into the slope wall. As his arm stretched back I stepped farther away. His arm sent his body flying back so he did a flip and landed on his feet. We then both turned to look at the cloud of dust around where Kuro was.

"How insulting." Kuro declared. The dust settled to reveal a crater and Kuro sitting on the ground. "It would appear that you need a lesson in what real pirates are like." Kuro then reached up and stroked back the few hairs that had gone into his face. I stepped closer to Luffy as he stood back up from a crouched position. "It's not pleasant. Your first lesson will be about terror. A lesson I learned well as I stared down death." Kuro climbed to his feet. He then began swaying back and forth. He hunched forward and let his arms hang down in front of him. His blades would clack together with every sway.

"What's he doing?" Luffy asked as we stopped and watched.

"Hey! Should he be in that stance?" A man from below questioned

"No, this is bad!" Another man exclaimed.

"Why's he using that technique?" A third man continued as Luffy and I turned to look down at them.

"He's only fighting two kids." A fourth man answered.

"There's no reason to use the out of the bag attack!" A final man said, announcing Kuro's move.

"I'm gonna guess and say it's the out of the bag attack and that it's not good." I replied to Luffy as Kuro continued to sway.

"This isn't a good spot for us. I mean, he can get us too." The men below us continued to talk as I turned to face Kuro with Luffy.

"Yeah, he did say he was gonna kill us all earlier." Another added.

"Please Captain Kuro. Anything but that technique." Soon the men began to beg and plead.

"We'll do anything, Captain." A man begged.

"Please Captain Kuro!" A man cried out.

"What's the big deal? He's just wobbling back and forth." Luffy mumbled before he turned back towards me and Kuro.

"Mind if I help fight with you this time?" I asked as the crew below each yelled out their own cries for help.

"Let's give it our all." Luffy told me. Suddenly out of nowhere a breeze blew past and Kuro stopped. He glared as he looked up at us. His pupils looked like they had completely disappeared due to his anger.

"Out of the bag attack!" Kuro yelled. He disappeared instantly leaving behind clouds of purple dust that blew out in waves in every direction. One wave blew past us down the slope. This time I couldn't see him, let alone track him. There was a scream behind us and we both turned and gaped at one of the crewmen who had fallen.

"What's he doing over there?" Luffy asked as we watched more and more of Kuro's crew get sliced down.

"He's killing his men!" I announced in astonishment. A rock was sliced next to Luffy. Purple smoke blew out of the cuts that were left in the rock.

"That guy's everywhere." Luffy proclaimed. Soon more men were getting cut down below us.

"What should we do?" I asked, panicked. I felt dizzy as I tried to look around and spot Kuro. With every man sliced on the beach below, my back would ache. My left hand reached up to my shoulder as I the men below were dropping like flies. The others that remained alive pleaded for their lives.

"Don't do this Captain. Please stop!" One of the men cried.

"We're dead. We can't reason with him now that he's started. His sidestep maneuver is so fast, not even he knows what he's cutting." Another man explained.

"But how could he have killed so many of us without even- OH!" One of the men was cut off as he was sliced like the other men.

The men continued to scream as more fell. There didn't look to be an end to the slaughter of the pirates below. Then I noticed a cut form on Luffy's chest near his collarbone. Another slice flew past him, cutting his bangs. I looked down to see a cut appear on the arm holding my right shoulder. This was bad. If we couldn't see him, how could we attack him? Strikes came out of nowhere. All the pirates below were getting chopped down in seconds. Even Luffy and I continued to receive cuts, though not as bad as the ones hitting the others. Cuts soon appeared in places like his right wrist, my left leg, the ground between us, his left calf, and my cheek. Most of ours seemed superficial. Soon Luffy began growling beside me.

"DON'T YOU HAVE ANY HONOR? THOSE MEN ARE YOUR FRIENDS!" Luffy yelled, shocking me out of my trance. More rocks started to get cut around us.

"What do we do?" I asked as I looked around in a panic. A split second later Luffy's stomach was sliced and he was sent flying back. I quickly dropped to my knees. The tips of the hair in my ponytail were cut as I dropped. The slice barely missed my head. As I looked back up I saw Luffy stretch out his arm. He grabbed onto something before pulling it up, over his head, and then slamming Kuro down on the ground behind him.

"I found you." Luffy panted as I climbed back onto my feet.

"You bastard. You should have accepted your fate like a good boy. Now look what you've done. Thanks to you my little pawns are still alive, and in misery. It would have been better just to let them die in the attack." Kuro stated as he kneeled on the ground. The men who weren't killed in the attack were strewn across the beach, groaning in pain. I walked past Kuro and stood in front of Luffy as a breeze passed. "So now what? Do you have something to say?" Kuro asked.

"Yeah." Luffy put a hand on my shoulder and pulled me back so I was standing next to him. "No matter what happens to me. I will never be like you." I then followed Luffy's gaze over to my father's straw hat that sat on the ground not too far away. Kuro raised his blades and aimed them at Luffy and I's heads.

"Not WILL. Someone like you CAN'T be like me." Kuro announced. A silence grew and tension filled the air. Together Luffy and I stared down Kuro. We waited and soon the smirk on Kuro's face disappeared. Kuro moved his blades away from our heads. "You see, you are going to die here today. But first you'll writhe in agony as I hack you up like a fish." Kuro declared. He stepped away from Luffy and began walking backwards up the slope. He stopped once he reached the top. "I'm going to carve you up." He raised a hand up and fixed his glasses. "And I'm going to enjoy it." Soon he began swaying again.

"No!" I yelled, pushing past Luffy. Luffy sat stunned for a moment before he ran with me.

"No you won't!" Luffy yelled. I made my bones heavy and created a blade that came out of my right wrist and went up next to my hand. I gripped it for extra support. I was two feet away from Kuro when I sliced it forward.

"Out of the bag attack!" Kuro yelled. Another wave of purple smoke exploded out and my hand cut through air.

"Dammit!" I yelled, stopping where he had stood. I wobbled for a second before Luffy caught up. He reached out a hand and grabbed my upper arm, holding me up for a moment. We then turned and stared down at the pirates below who were near death.

"Takara, you should really take it easy." Luffy ordered me.

"No way, I'm helping you whether you like it or not." I told him. "Now let's get this over with." Soon rocks were being sliced in every direction. I heard Luffy grunt and looked over to see that his left shoulder had been cut. The next second my right hand was cut and the bone that had been sticking out of it retracted. My left hand flew to stop the blood coming from the cut on the back of my right hand. My eyes flickered around the slope as I tried to figure out where that bastard was.

* * *

**Did you like it?**

**I've been told that I'm not all that good at fight scenes, so tell me if I did well please.**

**I like hearing from everyone who reads my story.**

**Well, that all for now.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	13. Dreams and Rules

We watched the slope carefully. For at least a moment nothing seemed to happen. No pirates or rocks were being sliced. Then out of the silence a whooshing sound echoed around us. I looked around frantically until Luffy pushed me back. A split second later Kuro appeared in front of him and sliced. Luffy managed to bend out of the way of Kuro's blades just in time. Kuro smirked and let out a chuckle as he faced Luffy. In the blink of an eye Kuro was gone again. I quickly spun to see Kuro standing further up the slope behind us. His blades clinked together as he turned back to face us.

"Aren't you tired?" Luffy asked as he turned towards Kuro as well. "I bet you are after all that dancing around you've been doing." I took a step back to stand next to him.

"I'd take that bet." I commented, earning a hidden smile from Luffy.

"Don't get cocky." Kuro declared. He had a smirk on his face as he reached up to adjust his glasses with both hands. "That was simply a warm up. The real fight begins now." Kuro continued to smirk as he lowered his hands. "Soon I will be feasting on your fear, complemented by the sweet wine of your agony."

"That sounds gross." I mumbled as Kuro hung his head to do his attack again.

"Now… OUT OF THE BAG ATTACK!" Kuro yelled as he swayed and then disappeared. My vision blurred slightly and I felt myself wobble a bit before Luffy grabbed my wrist.

"Let's finish this, Luffy." I stated as I regained my balance and shook my vision clear.

"Sure." Luffy replied as I created three long blades from my knuckles. Soon, just like every other time, rocks were cut to either side of us. I felt a shift in the air and pointed up the slope. Luffy then stretched his arms in that direction. His left arm missed, but his right arm latched onto something. "Got him." Luffy grinned. A giant cloud of dust went up as Luffy's left arm came back.

"Good." I muttered as Luffy launched through the dust up the slope. As the dust cleared, I followed him up to where he restrained Kuro. Luffy had his arms wrapped around Kuro's shoulders and his legs around Kuro's waist.

"Nice try, you jerk." Luffy grinned.

"Damn you! Get away from me!" Kuro shouted as he struggled against Luffy.

"Wow, Butler Man. Right now your life really sucks. Your plan of three years is a complete and total failure." Luffy continued. I walked around the two to Kuro's back.

"Let go!" Kuro shouted.

"I dunno Luffy. I think we could make his life suck even more." I said, peering over Kuro's shoulder to Luffy.

"Let's do it." Luffy replied with a smirk.

"Get off me." Kuro ordered. It wasn't long before Kuro's crew started cheering for Luffy and I. Luffy then hit his head against Kuro's, causing his head to fall back and his arms to go limp.

"Shut up." Luffy growled before he stretched his head back towards the pirates below.

While Luffy was busy, and had Kuro restrained, I did my damage. I swept the blades I had made across Kuro's back, creating cuts that weren't even close to as deep as mine. They would definitely hurt though. The blades even tore up the back of his suit while keeping away from Luffy. Kuro had even opened his eyes to glare at me.

"Yes, I did feel you basically stabbing me in the back." I stated, answering his question from earlier as Kuro rose his head back up. I quickly stepped forward and covered his eyes to block his view of Luffy, retracting my blades in the process.

"Although, you are pretty good at guessing." I continued. "You indirectly, but correctly, guessed that my father was Shanks, Captain of the Red Haired Pirates. Now as for my mother, she's a little more tricky. So why don't you just tell me everything you know about 'Blue Eyes' Nadine." I offered, keeping my tone light.

"A family like that… It could cause chaos." Kuro mumbled as he seemed to regain his senses from Luffy's hit.

"That's not what I asked." I growled before pushing the heels of my palms against the side of Kuro's head which caused him to wince. "Now tell me what you know about Nadine." I demanded, my tone becoming more intense. He has to know something. I mean, he's the infamous Captain Kuro.

"I won't tell you anything." Kuro stated.

"Well then I guess it sucks for the both of us." I told him before I removed my hands. I quickly stepped off to the side as Luffy's head stretched back to his body.

"You insects!" Kuro yelled. Luffy screamed as his head flew back towards us. "MY PLAN WILL ABSOLUTELY NOT BE DISRUPTED!" Then, for only a second, Kuro looked astonished. The expression quickly disappeared as Luffy's head connected with Kuro's. Kuro's head was flung back and his glasses flew off.

The two went flying as Kuro cried out in pain. Luffy had released Kuro as they both flew back parallel to each other. They flew past me and up the slope several feet. Kuro landed first. His head hit the ground as his body continued, placing him on his stomach. Luffy landed in a crouched position towards Kuro's head, but he didn't push himself to stand.

Kuro's glasses clattered to the ground just past Kuro's feet. No one spoke after Luffy's attack. The only sound that could be heard was a breeze in the trees at the top of the slope. For several moments Luffy hovered over Kuro, still not pushing himself to stand. Kuro on the other hand was completely unconscious. I slowly walked towards Luffy, but only got a few steps before my knees gave out. Luffy quickly turned around and caught me before I could drop.

"I told you to take it easy." Luffy stated as he pulled my right arm over his shoulder.

"I did." I told him, flashing him a smile as he stood up straight.

"Then why are you bleeding so much?" Luffy questioned.

"Because I was fighting along side my Captain." I answered. Not long after I replied to Luffy I noticed the men below beginning to talk.

"Just who are you?" One called up.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy." Luffy began, turning us to face the crowd below. "The only time a pirate should abandon his name is when he dies. I would never lose to a coward who ditches his name, betrays his friends, and runs from life on the sea."

"Uh… Luffy? I never heard that name before." A pirate declared.

"You should remember my name for the rest of your lives." Luffy said. His gaze was covered by his bangs. He then looked up with a giant smile on his face. "Cause one of these days I'm gonna be King of the Pirates." Luffy finished, his entire tone changing.

"For a moment there I thought you were going to say something inspirational, but nope." I told Luffy with a grin.

"What'd you expect? I quoted your dad when we met Usopp." Luffy said with an even bigger grin as he sat me down on the ground.

"More like ripped off." I commented as Luffy turned away and grabbed Kuro's collar.

"You are?" A pirate asked.

"NOW GET OUTTA HERE!" Luffy yelled as he threw Kuro's body over his shoulder, down toward the pirates below. His body landed with a loud thud in between several of the men. "AND NEVER COME BACK!" Luffy finished. All the pirates began screaming and running to their ship as Nami ran up to us. She stopped and stood there without saying a word. A moment later Luffy tipped forward and Nami moved to catch him. His body seemed to go limp in her arms.

"You guys did good." Nami told us as I laid back. She then moved to lay Luffy on the ground near me. He sprawled out as he was laid down. His left hand grazed my neck slightly while Nami stood between us.

"If you want me to take it easy then stop tickling my neck." I declared as I reached up and moved Luffy's hand above my head.

"I'm more comfortable with my hand here." Luffy said as he moved his hand back to my neck.

"No." I stated, moving his hand away again.

"Yes." Luffy replied as he moved his hand back. I turned my head to look at Luffy as he turned his head to do the same. We kept eye contact as we continued to moved his hand back and forth.

"Stop." I ordered after a moment. I tried to keep a stern tone, but after a moment I had to choke back a laugh. This caused Luffy to grin at me.

"Even after you've both collapsed you still act so childish." Nami announced before she took a seat between us.

"I'll stop if you'll rest until we can find you a doctor. If your father knew I was responsible for this he'd kill me." Luffy told me, his face becoming fearful for a moment at the mention of my father.

"Fine." I huffed. Luffy then moved his hand and I closed my eyes. It didn't take long for the same black from early to take hold of me.

* * *

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I woke up to find myself screaming. A sizzling pain came from my back and I had some kind of metal rod clutched in my teeth. At some point, uncontrollably, my teeth had sharpened and pierced the rod. I reverted my teeth back to normal and looked over my shoulder. Kaya had a needle and thread in her hand. She looked at me and gasped.

"Oh good, you're awake." Kaya smiled. Her face immediately fell. "I'm not hurting you am I?" Kaya asked worriedly. I quickly shook my head as a reply. She breathed a sigh of relief before continuing to speak. "Nami and Luffy helped me get you here so that I could help with your back. I just finished cleaning the cuts out so I'm gonna stitch them up." She then leaned forward and began working on my back. As she stitched up the four long cuts, that would surely become scars, she continued to talk to me.

"As I cleaned out the rocks and gravel you bled a lot, which made it difficult for me to work. So, while I waited I sewed the cuts in the outfit I gave you." I looked over at the table next to us. On it, folded and neat, sat a pile of clothing that consisted of what I had been wearing earlier. I suddenly realized that all I was wearing was a pair of shorts that I had never seen before.

"Merry guessed that we were the same size, so he helped me find a pair of shorts that you could use. That way you wouldn't be completely naked while I tried to stitch your back. We also found a shirt that you can borrow once we're done. As for your friends, they care a lot about you. I have Merry preparing a gift for all of you as we speak." Kaya then stopped talking. I suspected that she was trying to focus because she was nearly done.

"Just about done." Kaya announced, confirming my thoughts. I then heard a snip of scissors before Kaya turned away and grabbed something from another table. "Can you sit up and lift your arms?" I did as she said, though most of my body ached a bit. I slowly sat up and lifted my arms with my back still to her. She then got to work wrapping a bandage around my entire upper body. With my arm still lifted I reached over and grabbed the metal rod from my mouth. There were lots of little holes in it's surface.

"Uh… Sorry about your rod." I stammered, setting it beside me. She stopped wrapping me and looked at it. She was silent for a moment and the moment seemed to go on forever before she burst into laughter.

"It's perfectly fine." She told me once she stopped laughing. Her hands then continued to go at work as she reached my chest. "You already broke several others that I had brought, most were wood. I should really be the one apologizing. You'll end up with a splinter on your tongue because of me." I chuckled slightly at the thought. It didn't take long for her to reach my arms. She then wrapped some around my right shoulder that held parts of the longer cuts. I could honestly say that I felt like a mummy. My entire upper body was completely covered in bandages.

"There all done. Now slip this on and we'll go find your friends." She told me, passing me a blue tank top. I quickly pulled it on and stood up off the bed I had been on. My bandaged shoulder could clearly seen with the tank top. I then walked across the room to pick up the outfit Kaya had found and fixed for me. Kaya then lead me out of the house we had been in and down a street. The walk was mostly silent, up until we entered a restaurant.

"There you are." Kaya announced as I pushed open the door to see Zoro, Luffy, and Nami sitting at a booth. I quickly ran to the booth and stopped at its edge, only to find a bunch of empty plates.

"Hey, where's my food?" I questioned as I looked at my crewmates.

"Luffy ate it." Nami answered as she pointed across the table to Luffy. Luffy leaned back in his seat as he chewed on a fish bone.

"Luffy! I gotta eat too y'know." I growled. He looked up at me and shrugged. He then held up a hand to wave at Kaya as she joined us.

"Hello there Miss." Luffy said.

"Are you ok being out of bed?" Nami asked as Kaya walked to the table.

"Yes. I think now I can truly start recovering. You see, my sickness this last year was caused by the mental shock of losing both my parents, and Usopp's friendship helped me start getting better. I can't stay in bed forever y'know." Kaya explained.

"Agreed, and you owe me a fish." I told Luffy as I snatched his hat. I managed to turn away, but before I could do anything else I was yanked back. I was yanked back to Luffy and held in a groan of pain as he took the hat back.

"My hat." Luffy declared before I turned and smacked him upside the head.

"That hurt you Rubber Head." I whispered as Kaya started talking again. I glared at him as he realized what he had done.

"Oh yeah, your back any better?" Luffy asked innocently.

"No thanks to you." I grumbled. I moved to stand up, but Luffy grabbed my shoulders and kept me in the booth beside him.

"Why don't I carry you back to the ships after this, as an apology?" Luffy offered. Since he wasn't all that good at apologizing to me he would always offer something instead. Most of the time I couldn't refuse.

"Fine." I agreed before leaning back in the seat.

"You've all done so much for me, I can't thank you enough. I've prepared a present for you from the bottom of my heart to show you how grateful I am for everything you've done here. I'd be honored if you'd accept it." Kaya smiled.

"Well lead us to it." Luffy announced.

"This way." Kaya told us. She then turned and walked out of the building. Nami and I were out of the booth first and we quickly followed Kaya as Zoro and Luffy followed.

"How is your back?" Nami asked as we left the building.

"It aches, but nothing I can't handle." I replied.

"Well, you're looking good." Zoro said as he caught up.

"I could say the same about you." I stated once I noticed that his shirt was no longer cut or bloody.

"We gotta get a move on!" Luffy shouted, catching our attention. He then ducked between my legs before lifting me up onto his shoulders. I let out a shriek at the sudden movement. As I started falling back I quickly tightened my grip. I hooked my legs around Luffy's shoulders and around his back as I grabbed his head with my hands.

"You can't just pick me up like that." I declared as I shoved Luffy's head down.

"Don't shove me." Luffy ordered as he forced his head back up, causing me to tip back. The action caused Luffy to stop and stumble back as he tried to regain his balance. This required a little help from Zoro.

"Could you two stop acting like kids for one minute?" Nami requested.

"No." Luffy and I replied simultaneously as he started walking again.

"They're better than those Usopp Pirates." Zoro told Nami as he let out a chuckle.

"I don't get it." I said as I gained everyone's attention.

"Yeah, you were with Kaya." Luffy replied. I glanced at the path ahead to see that Kaya was getting further away faster than we were walking.

"Well those kids found us in that restaurant not long after we got here." Zoro began.

"We had just finished eating and Usopp had disappeared to go see Kaya." Nami continued. "Zoro basically told the kids that we ate Usopp, and they screamed at me for being a 'cannibal'."

"It was pretty funny. Now hold on." Luffy laughed before he suddenly took off running. I quickly tightened my grip as we left Zoro and Nami in the dust. Zoro and Nami then took off running in an attempt to keep up with us. It wasn't long before Kaya came back into view, along with the ocean.

Soon we all came to a slow stop, and I realized where we were. We were at one of the slopes and a huge ship sat near the beach before us. Luffy shrugged me off his shoulders and I slid down his back. I stepped around him and awed at the ship. It had a giant mast in the center with a crow's nest. A smaller mast that sat at the back. There was a cabin area with stairs leading up to it. The bow had a ram's head on it, and a cannon sticking out just below it. It was beautiful!

"Are you actually giving this to us?!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Mmhmm, as a token of my appreciation." Kaya replied.

"It's a slightly older model, but I personally designed it and she sails like a dream." Merry explained. The ship was huge with tons of space. This ship looked amazing. "She's a fine ship, and her name is 'The Going Merry'." Merry finished as I noticed I had zoned out for a moment.

"This ship looks absolutely wonderful! Thank you so much!" I awed as I ran over and hugged Kaya.

"It's my pleasure." Kaya smiled as we pushed away. "I hope you get to have some very fun adventures with her."

"I'm sure we will." I grinned as I turned to look at Luffy.

"What a cool ship." Luffy awed. "Have you guys seen the front? It's totally awesome!"

"We've loaded it with all the previsions you might need on a long voyage." Kaya stated.

"Really?" I asked.

"Thanks, it leaves nothing to be tired." Luffy told Kaya, turning to face her.

"That's leaves nothing to be desired, idiot." Zoro commented. We then all turned towards the sound of someone screaming. A large green ball bounced down the slope towards us.

"Somebody stop this thing." Usopp yelled.

"Oh, no! Usopp!" Kaya gasped.

"Hey, what's he doing? Looks fun." Luffy commented.

"Or painful." I added.

"Well, we better stop him. That weirdo is on a collision course with our boat." Zoro announced as Luffy stepped forward to stand next to him. Together they both lifted a foot and stopped the green ball as it reached them. Unfortunately their feet hit Usopp's face.

"Hey, thanks guys." Usopp said, his voice muffled due to the feet placed on his face.

"Anytime." Luffy told him.

"Come on, let's get going." I stated as I moved to climb up the ladder.

"I get to go first!" Luffy yelled as he stretched his arms up to the railing and pulled himself onto the ship.

"Cheater!" I called up after him. I quickly climbed to the deck only to be met with Luffy staring at me.

"Takara. We have to celebrate. Your first job as first mate on our first ship is to get us our first round of drinks." Luffy ordered.

"That's a lot of firsts." I laughed before running past him to the upper cabin. "I will gladly take that job." I added as I entered the cabin.

It was small but it had a kitchen space, a table, and a few crates of supplies. A barrel in the corner caught my eye as I moved to grab mugs. I then filled five mugs with the liquor that I suspected was in the barrel. I then carried them out to everyone standing at the back end of the boat. I set the mugs down on a barrel as I moved to stand next to Nami. Not too far away Luffy leaned forward on the railing while Zoro leaned back against it opposite us.

"You guys take care. I hope we meet again sometime." Usopp called from the beach next to Kaya.

"Wait, Usopp's not coming?" I asked as I glanced over at Nami. She shrugged as we looked back down to him.

"How come?" Luffy asked Usopp.

"Well because I…" Usopp paused and mumbled something before looking back up at us. "... I'm taking off for life on the high seas and I hope that we'll eventually meet again. That's all." Usopp explained.

"What are you talking about?" Zoro questioned as he pointed down at the ship. "Get on already."

"We're friends, right?" Luffy continued after Usopp gave us a confused look. "So get on." Usopp stood still, gaping.

"I have a feeling we're gonna be outnumbered from here on out." I stated as I turned to face Nami. She glanced down to Usopp before turning back to me.

"As long as we stick together we should be fine." Nami shrugged.

"I'm really a pirate captain now!" Usopp exclaimed, drawing our attention back to him.

"Don't be stupid Usopp. I'm the Captain!" Luffy yelled back.

We all laughed as Usopp climbed aboard with his giant green bag. Once he was on board we set sail. I stayed at the back to wave to Kaya for a little while before moving to assist with the sails. Soon the island was tiny and the crew made their way to the back of the ship. As everyone got to the back of the ship they picked up a mug. Zoro took a seat on the barrel after everyone had picked up their mugs.

"Cheers to a new ship and a new crewman!" Luffy yelled. We all cheered as we hit our mugs together. Before I could even take a sip, someone had snatched my mug.

"Why'd you take my mug?" I questioned as I looked to Usopp who currently held my mug away from me.

"Your what? Sixteen? That's way too young to start drinking." Usopp answered before he took a drink from his mug.

"Hah! You can't be serious." I laughed. "Your what? Seventeen? Only a year older than me."

"I agree with him." Luffy stated as he also took a drink from his mug.

"Luffy, you're only seventeen too." I pointed out.

"You really shouldn't drink so young, Takara" Zoro chimed in.

"I was practically raised on this stuff." I stated.

"You're gonna need a better lie than that." Usopp told me. I froze for a moment, only blinking.

"As Captain I forbid you from drinking." Luffy announced.

"Come on guys, give her a break." Nami tried to reason before I burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Usopp questioned.

"Usopp." I began as I snickered, my laughter slowly disappearing. "I just want you to know that unlike you all the stories I will ever tell are completely true. Including the one about the fact that I was raised on a pirate ship full of men." I paused and looked between the three men. "I could also beat you at most any pastime while on this ship."

"Yeah, right." Usopp huffed skeptically as he lifted his mug to take another drink. I quickly stepped forward and pushed his mug up. As the mug's contents spilled onto his face I launched forward and grabbed my mug. I then downed its contents before looking back at everyone.

"Just to make things clear… Don't tell me what to do because I can decide whether I can or not on my own." I declared, handing the empty mug back to Usopp with a grin.

"Woo! Good job." Nami cheered as I smiled at her. "I still get first dibs on beds." Nami announced before setting down her mug and running to the door below the kitchen area.

"Wait, Nami!" I called as I ran after her. I didn't get too far before my foot caught on something and I tripped.

"Don't trip." Luffy told me as I rolled over onto my back to look at him. Luffy had a giant grin while Usopp and Zoro laughed.

"Ha ha. You're so funny." I said sarcastically as I climbed to my feet and followed Nami.

* * *

**TA DA!**

**What'd you guys think?**

**I liked it, but I'm supposed to so since I wrote it.**

**Thought about this one a lot so please give me your thoughts! I'd love to hear them.**

**That's all for this story.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	14. Events of Treasure Island

I had rolled up my mattress and stuck it underneath the desk. I then quietly climbed up out of Nami and I's room. The entire time I kept an eye on Nami who I had somehow not woken up. I then closed the cover over the stairs and moved through the storage room to the door. It closed with a soft click. I then spun around and looked out at the ship. There was a slight nip in the air and the sky was still dark. The horizon was slowly lighting up so I quickly moved to the rope ladder and climbed up into the crow's nest. Not only was it the best place on the ship to see the sunrise, but it was peaceful and a great spot to be alone.

Soon colors danced across the sky. Accompanied with the brightening sky was the crash of waves against our huge ship. It had been awhile since I got to hear that rhythm. The smaller ships that we had been using before now just didn't have the same feel. Time seemed to fly by and it wasn't long before I could hear people starting to move around and start their day.

"Takara?!" I heard Nami call out.

"She's probably somewhere sleeping. Let her sleep." Luffy told Nami on the deck below.

"Do you wanna take out her stitches?" Nami offered sarcastically.

"I can, but it wouldn't be a good idea on your part." There was a very loud smack before Luffy let out a cry of pain.

"She wouldn't be like this in the first place if you hadn't let her fight! How do you think she feels?" Nami growled.

"That's not a good enough reason to hit me!" Luffy yelled. I quickly climbed over the edge of the crow's nest and down the rope ladders to the deck.

"Would you two stop arguing? I'm right here." I said as I walked up to Luffy and Nami as they glared at each other. "Now, what is going on here?" I asked. They both simultaneously pointed at each other before going on about what just happened. Their words became so jumbled I couldn't understand either of them. After a moment they turned and glared at each other.

"Did not." Luffy stated.

"Did too." Nami growled.

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Shut up!" I yelled, interrupting their argument. I took Nami's hand and dragged her away from the scene and up into the cabin. "Nami, let's go work on my back before Luffy's childishness rubs off on you more." I announced as I took Nami's hand and dragged her to the kitchen.

"Hey!" Luffy called after us as we disappeared. I took a seat on one of the benches as Nami grabbed something and came over to sit behind me. I then pulled off my shirt and set it on the table as Nami started taking off the bandages around my chest.

"Why were you fighting with Luffy?" I asked in an attempt to make things less awkward.

"Forgot to earlier. I mean, your injuries were more serious than Zoro and Luffy's. They just walked off their injuries like it was nothing. It was Luffy's fault you got cut in the first place. I don't like you fighting like that even if I know you can handle yourself… You're like a little sister. I can't help but worry for you." Nami stated.

"... My father's crew is the only thing I ever got to having relatives. Except, they were more like those awesome uncles… I'll gladly be your sister if you'll be mine, but I can't sit out of fights. It would be like losing a part of who I am." I explained. There was a moment of silence as Nami paused.

"Well, I can't picture you any other way. Just… don't make me worry so much." Nami suggested and I turned my head just enough to see Nami smile out of the corner of my eye.

"I can't promise anything. How about you just promise to be there to patch me up after?" I offered with a slight laugh. This earned me a swift slap to my left shoulder.

"Stop laughing. I can't take off the bandages with you moving so much…" There was a long pause before Nami stopped removing my bandages. "I promise to be there for you." Before she started unwrapping my bandages again I spun around and hugged her.

"Thanks." I whispered.

"Anytime." Nami stated as she returned the hug. She then spun me back around and got back to work.

"So, where we headed now?" I asked, keeping away from anything more awkward.

"If we stay on course… Arms up." Nami paused as I raised my arms out of the way. She quickly finished with the bandages and started on removing the stitches. "We'll be at Treasure Island soon." Nami finished. I turned my head and looked over my shoulder at Nami.

"THE Treasure Island?" I questioned, hiding my excitement.

"Yep, now quit moving." Nami ordered. She then reached up and turned my face forward, forcing me to stare at the wall. She picked something up off the table next to us before continuing to work on my back.

Soon the snipping of scissors stopped and Nami stood up to grab something. It didn't take her long to sit back down. I tightened my jaw as whatever she wiped against my back stung. She wiped several more times before tapping my shoulder and standing up.

I immediately jumped up and ran to the mirror in the corner. I spun around to look at my back. Four pink scars ran jaggedly along my back from my left hip to my right shoulder. They were really kinda cool. Although, if my dad found out then he would have Luffy's head for causing it. Unintentionally or not.

"I take it you like it." Nami smiled, taking note of my excitement as she moved to put away everything.

"They're awesome." I grinned as I move back to the table to grab my shirt.

"Well I'm gonna go work on some charting." Nami stated before she left.

I stood in the room for a few minutes before following Nami. I exited the cabin and looked over the railing. Luffy sat off in the corner painting what looked like a very deformed jolly roger on a flag. Zoro was sleeping against the opposite railing. Then I noticed Nami a few feet behind Luffy looking over maps, her back to him. She must have found the maps pretty easily. I might as well find something to bide my time as well. I then made my way to Nami and I's room.

Once I was in our room I grabbed a small book from the bottom corner of the bookcase next to the desk. It was a small, pocket sized, book with a dark brown leather cover. The edges were worn and it looked as if it was incredibly old. A second book sat in the space next to the one I had grabbed. It was identical to the one I held aside from the color being more red. With the book in hand I took a seat at the desk and found a pen.

I opened the book and started flipping through the pages. Each used page had a date in the top right corner. Some of the dates would be years apart while others were only days. I eventually found the last entry. Only a few pages were left between the last entry and the back cover. I hovered over the last entry for a little while, looking over what was written. The date was from nearly six years earlier… The first time I had ever been to a festival.

Before I could even think about writing there was a loud thundering boom. I quickly slipped the book back into it's spot. I then made my way to the deck where I found everyone at the front of the ship. The sky above was filled with dark clouds that would occasionally produce a crack of thunder or bolt of lightning. The waves around the ship became rough as I made my way to the front of the ship.

"What crazy stories?" Luffy asked as I joined the group.

"Legend has it that whoever is dumb enough to sail close to the island incurs a god's wrath." Nami replied.

A crack of thunder echoed around us and a bolt of lightning erupted from the sky while Usopp screamed. Soon the sea raged around us and rain poured down on us. As the ship was rocked around I stumbled and quickly grabbed onto the railing near the bow before I could fall. Usopp had fallen and grabbed onto the railing opposite the bow.

"Now we know those stories are true guys!" Usopp shouted over the storm. "This is a god's wrath!"

"I think that sounds pretty cool." Luffy awed as he held onto his hat.

"Let's do this." I added as I tried to stay standing.

"Hey, wait! We're not gonna-"

"You bet we are." Nami stated, interrupting Usopp. There was another set of thunder and lightning as Luffy moved to sit on the ran's head.

"Let's go to Treasure Island!" Luffy yelled as he pointed ahead into the storm.

Usopp and Zoro quickly got to work on the ship as we sailed through the storm. I did my best to stand next to Nami as she laughed. It didn't seem to take us that long to reach the center of the storm. At the center of the storm was an island. Once the ship was stable near the shore we all climbed off the ship. The island was incredibly forested, heavy brush and trees everywhere.

Soon we were off, parading through the forest. Nami took the lead with Luffy and I closely following. Zoro and Usopp were behind me, but Usopp seemed to cling or at least hold onto Zoro. Aside from Usopp's occasional freak out, especially involving the strange plants lining our path, it was mostly silent.

"Hey, this place is creepy." Usopp announced. I peered over my shoulder to see him clinging to Zoro's arm. It was childish for someone his age, but it was slightly adorable.

"Yeah, so?" Zoro replied, appearing to not mind Usopp. I turned back around as we passed through another set of overgrown trees.

"It's said that somewhere on this island rests an unimaginable fortune just waiting to be found." Nami began. "Supposedly many pirates have landed here in the past, but they all fled in absolute terror before they ever got a chance to look for it." I jumped forward and pushed up off Luffy's shoulders.

"That sounds so cool!" I stated as I jumped down and looked around frantically.

"Absolute terror?" Luffy asked. I stopped looking and moved to follow them as we continued to march through the jungle.

"I'd be afraid too. They say one pirate's face suddenly turned into a boar's face. And another pirate's mustache stretched out like a couple of snakes and strangled him." Nami continued her story.

"But that's not true, right?" Usopp asked, his voice raked with fear and terror. We stopped walking again, and Nami turned to us.

"Well, I'm sure that some of those stories are a bit of an exaggeration." Nami shrugged.

"Don't talk anymore. You're scaring me." Usopp pleaded. While we were stopped I looked around some more. It was then that I noticed red eyes were popping up out of the shadows. I heard a yawn, and turned to see Zoro walking away.

"I'm tired. Nap time." Zoro announced. He quickly set down his swords and laid down in the small clearing we were in. He almost instantly began snoring.

"How can he possibly sleep in such a creepy place?" Usopp questioned as he watched Zoro.

"He's either dumb, or he's got nerves of steel." Nami commented from next to Usopp. I turned to see Luffy crouching near one of the bushes. I slowly walked over to crouch next to him.

In the bush was a snake with a rabbit's face, its body covered in fur. Luffy and it stared between each other, neither blinking. Seconds later the creature opened its mouth and let out something like a hiss as it stuck its tongue out at us.

"Strange." I mumbled, earning a nod from Luffy. I then jumped as Usopp suddenly screamed.

"What's happening? Are we in danger?" Nami questioned as I turned towards Usopp.

"Uh… What? No, I was just making up a little dance to liven things up." Usopp answered before showing us a dance. He then failed to notice a creature walk up behind him. I suspect he wouldn't have noticed it, but the creature then licked his hand and he abruptly stopped his dance.

"Hey. Come on. Stop that Luffy." Usopp said as he turned towards the creature. It looked a lot like a wolf aside from its rooster tail and comb. A second creature dropped down from the trees behind Nami. It had the body of a panda bear, the wings of a bat, and was barely the size of the wolf rooster next to Usopp.

"Why would he think you were licking his hand?" I asked Luffy as the two behind us screamed. They both tried to run, but ended up tripping over each other. Somehow Usopp ended up laying on the ground while Nami landed on top of him.

"I dunno." Luffy shrugged as we all stood back up.

"What's going on?" Nami questioned as we all looked out at the forest.

"Leave now!" A voice from the forest echoed around us.

"Who's there?" Luffy shouted back.

"Leave now!" The voice repeated.

"Guys, where's that voice coming from?" Nami continued.

"I am the vengeful Island God!" The voice announced. "Leave at once if you value your lives."

"Island God?" Luffy mumbled.

"I wonder what he looks like." I wondered aloud as I looked at the trees around us.

"Wait. You guys are pirates, right?" The Island God asked.

"Well, yeah." Luffy replied.

"AHH! I knew it." The Island God growled.

"Why would a god need to ask something like that?" Nami questioned.

"I don't know- I-I mean, take one more step into the forest. The instant you do you will instantly receive my divine punishment and meet your doom, which is my punishment! Wait… uh…" The Island God stammered.

"Okay, that made no sense at all." Luffy stated.

"I'm confused. Is he trying to threaten us?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. This guy is weird." Nami said.

"Yeah, what's his deal anyway?" Luffy continued, looking towards Nami and I.

"What did you say, Straw Hat boy?" The Island God growled. The eyes that were in the forest soon moved forward to reveal all sorts of strange looking animals that began to sound their support for the Island God. Of the animal creatures I could see were the snake rabbit from a moment ago, a pig lion, a zebra ostrich, and a hippo ape.

"What are these things?" Usopp asked, his voice shaky.

"They use to be humans. They came looking for treasure, but all they found was my wrath." The Island God declared as the animals entered our clearing.

"Oh! You transformed them?" Usopp gasped before he kneeled and held his hands together in front of him. "Then you are a god."

"Look at all these weird things." Luffy told us. Before him stood the zebra ostrich and a rhino kangaroo. He then bent down and picked up the pig lion. "Huh? So is this a pig?"

"Could be a lion." Nami suggested. Out of nowhere the pig lion roared and bit onto Luffy's face. As the pig lion pulled away, Luffy stretched. It soon let go and Luffy dropped it to hold his face.

"Serves you right for calling it a thing." I pointed out as I bent down to pet it.

"You stretchy freak of nature! What are you?" The Island God continued to echo.

"One time I ate a Devil Fruit. So, now I'm a rubber person." Luffy explained as he stretched his cheek.

"Luffy, you can only eat a Devil Fruit one time." I stated.

"Well have you tried eating two?" Luffy asked, facing me.

"... No." I answered.

"Then how would you know you can't eat more than one?" Luffy continued, crossing his arms and giving me a look.

"Well-... I… Um…" I stammered, trying to think of a comeback, but coming up flat. I honestly had no idea if someone could eat more than one, let alone if someone had tried.

"Yeah, right. A Devil Fruit? I heard those same stupid stories back when I was a pirate." The Island God replied, clearly skeptical.

"Back when you were a pirate?" Nami questioned.

"I mean, uh-... No! I wasn't reminiscing about the old days. Enough of that kind of talk! I don't want to hear about the old days. Dammit!" The Island God declared.

"Are you nuts? You're the one that brought it up." Luffy pointed out.

"You faker! You sound too dumb to be a god." Nami stated.

"Shut up! If you won't leave, then prepare for my divine judgment!" The Island God announced.

Suddenly wood stakes were launched at us. I quickly jumped as several hit the ground where I stood. Usopp narrowly missed getting his nose hit by one. Nami managed to get missed as well. Luffy on the other hand had to dodge several like me. All the shots towards Zoro hit everywhere but him. Not long after the stakes, rocks fell out of the treetops. One landed right on top of Luffy's head.

"You're really pushing your luck." Luffy grinned as I turned to face him.

"How are you not dead!?" The Island God questioned as I saw a bush behind Luffy bounce.

"Is that him?" I asked, moving towards Luffy and pointing past him.

"There you are." Luffy replied.

"Don't move." The Island God ordered as Luffy moved. "I said don't move!" A bullet was then fired off and I stepped to the side as it hit Luffy and he stretched. Usopp and Nami screamed as Luffy sent the bullet flying up and away. "No. That can't be!" The Island God cried.

"Hey Island God. Even mortals know that bullets can't hurt a rubber man." Nami pointed out as we all turned to face the moving bush.

"Maybe not, but I still hate them." Luffy added.

"You're some kind of monster." The Island God cried. The moving bush then tossed the gun before it ran off.

"Catch him, Takara!" Luffy ordered as he suddenly lifted me up and threw me at the bush. I let out a scream as I flew through the air, only to land on top of it.

"What the hell, Luffy!?" I questioned as Luffy ran after me. It took me a moment to realize that I was riding the bush. Within a few moments the bush took a sudden turn and I was thrown off the bush and I crashed to the ground.

"Where'd he go?" Luffy questioned as he ran past me to the cliff next to us. I groaned as I sat up and looked around, holding a spot on the back of my head.

"I don't know. How about next time you don't through me at him?" I suggested as I climbed to my feet. There was a crack behind us and we both turned to see the bush. We both walked over to it as Nami and Usopp joined us.

"What is this?" Luffy asked. It looked like a bush, but the bottom was inside a chest.

"Could it be the Island God?" Usopp suggested. Somehow it then grew legs and started running away from us.

"It's moving." Nami announced as it ran away from us… and straight into a tree.

"Well he certainly is dumb." I mumbled as it dropped to the ground.

It groaned and grunted as it continued to move its legs, not getting anywhere. We slowly walked over as the sun came out to reveal a face in the bush next to the chest. I then realized, it wasn't a bush. It was a giant green afro that belonged to a man who appeared stuck in a chest… The… Island… God…

"Stand me up." The man ordered. "Stand me up already."

"It's a person." Nami commented, surprised.

"Awesome. He's like a talking scrub brush." Luffy stated.

"Shut up Rubber Head! That's not a nice thing to say!" I yelled at Luffy after smacking him upside the head. He turned and scowled at me.

"You don't have to hit me for it." He grumbled, holding his head.

"How else am I gonna get it into your head?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips.

"That's it. You're not even a minor deity. You're more like a box." I walked over and smacked Usopp upside the head as well. "Why'd you hit me!?" He shouted at me, also holding the spot on his head.

"A person can be whatever they want to be, and you shouldn't make fun of him for being stuck in a box!" I retorted.

"Come on, stand me up now!" The man cried before Luffy and Usopp stepped over and brought the man to his feet.

"Relax... here" Usopp told the man as he helped get him up.

"Uh... I'll let you off with a warning this time." With that the man began running away from us again.

"No, wait!" Luffy called as he managed to grab the chest. The man got further and further away with every second.

"This isn't going to end well for you." I stated, crouching in front of Luffy.

"And what makes you say that?" Luffy laughed. We both turned to look at the man who tried to run, but had stopped moving. Seconds later Luffy was flying towards the man. The two collided and screamed as they both went flying over the cliff side. I fell back as Usopp and Nami got up and ran towards the cliff side.

"LUFFY!" Nami and Usopp called in unison as they down the cliffside. I could hear Luffy laugh as he dropped.

"Three... Two... One." I pointed up as Luffy went flying up, past the cliff, and into the sky.

Once they had landed Nami and I got to work on fixing them. Luffy was mostly fine, but the man had a large bump on his forehead. As Nami got a bandage to place on the bump I noticed that his eyebrow would twitch. Nami placed the bandage on the bump and soon the man was surrounded by the strange animal creatures.

"There. You're all set now." Nami announced as she stepped away. A pig lion and wolf rooster moved forward and started licking the man's cheeks.

"I told you so." I whispered to Luffy before nudging his arm.

"Shut up." Luffy grumbled, pushing me back. I grinned at him before moving to sit next to Nami as Usopp took the spot I had been in next to Luffy.

"You're a pretty popular guy, Mr. Island God." Nami stated.

"So let me get this straight. These crazy animals help you scare off the pirates who came to this place looking for treasure?" Usopp questioned, pointing to the animals around the man as they backed away from licking the man's face.

"I've never seen a person stuffed inside a treasure chest before. You're a real live jack in the box." Luffy smiled.

"Yes, ironically, I am in fact in a box and my name is… You idiot! I'm a person, not a toy!" The man quickly switched his tone to yell at Luffy. "I've been stranded alone on this island and stuck in this contemptible box for twenty years."

"Twenty years?" I asked as I looked over the man in the chest.

"That long?" Nami questioned. We all turned at the sound of Usopp opening his bag. He then reached in and pulled out what looked like a thermos. He screwed off the lid and poured some of the contents of the bottle into the lid. He then drank what was in the lid before letting out a puff of air.

"So, you've been all alone on this island for twenty years. Amazing." Usopp said as we all turned back towards the man.

"Yeah. Just take a look at me. I've got a beard like a wild man, and in all that time you're the first people that I've had a conversation with. Can you understand how painful that is?" The man told us.

"That's ridiculous." Luffy stated.

"What did you say!?" The man yelled.

"Wait… Why do you have a thermos?" I asked, turning to Usopp. Before Usopp replied I saw Zoro walking towards us.

"Ah, oh… There you are. I've been looking all over for you guys." Zoro yawned.

"How could you have slept through everything that's just happened?" Nami questioned. Zoro didn't reply as he took Usopp's cup and moved to a rock to sit down. He took a long swig before looking back at us, his eyes immediately going wide.

"AHH! What the heck is that?" Zoro asked as he slipped off the rock, his eyes locked on the man.

"He finally sees him." Nami stated, not looking happy.

"That is a person, be polite." I told Zoro.

"Check it out, he's in a treasure chest." Luffy said as he pointed towards the man.

"Like a jack in the box, but real." Zoro awed.

"What did I just say?" I questioned.

"Yes, ironically, I am in fact in a box and my name is… You idiot! We've already been through all that!" The man yelled before Luffy stepped onto the back of the chest, reached over his hair, and grabbed the top of his mouth.

"Zoro, give me a hand." Luffy ordered as he pulled up. Zoro walked over and grabbed onto the man's hair and began pulling as well, using an edge of the chest to push with his foot like Luffy.

"AHH! What are you doing? You idiots!" The man tried to scream, but it came out garbled due to Luffy. "Stop it!" The man ordered as Luffy and Zoro let go.

"Sorry, I'm afraid you're stuck." Luffy announced as he wiped his forehead with his arm.

"Don't be stupid. I've been stuck inside this blasted treasure chest for so many years now, that it's slowly become a part of my body. If you try to break it, you'll break my body too.

"You're a strange little man." Zoro stated as he stood next to Luffy with his arms crossed.

"Ugh… Alright guys, enough about me. Who are you? You're not like any of those other pirates who've come around here , that's for sure." The man told us as Luffy took a seat back on his rock.

"I'm Luffy. I'm going to be King of the Pirates." Luffy stated.

"You're what?" The man gasped.

"I'm gonna get the One Piece and then I'm going to be King of the Pirates." Luffy continued.

"The One Piece? Don't tell me you idiots are actually planning to sail on the Grand Line." The man said.

"Sadly." Nami whispered to me and I looked down to hide my grin.

"Yep, we got a chart right here." Luffy answered, pulling out a chart out of nowhere and holding it out.

"Don't be such a fool. The Grand Line's a graveyard. I once saw a group of pirates who had managed to escape from that horrible place, and I'll never forget it. It was an awful sight. They were just the hollow shells of the men they use to be. There's no telling what horrors they witnessed in that ghastly place. Not one among them tried to speak." The man announced. I turned to look at everyone and found Nami and Zoro's eyes on me.

"Now listen to me well, young pirates." The man continued before I could say anything."The rumors of the One Piece spawn more rumors. Who know's what's true. It's been only twenty odd years since the start of the Great Pirate Era, and the One Piece is already a dream within a dream beyond a legend."

"Why are you staring at me?" I questioned after the man stopped.

"Is it really like that?" Nami asked.

"You do seem to know everything about being a pirate." Zoro added, crouching next to us.

"That's true. What about your dad?" Usopp joined our conversation.

"I don't have any idea. Just stop staring at me." I ordered before pushing Usopp and Zoro away from me.

"So, which one of these is the Grand Line?" The man asked Luffy as he looked at the chart Luffy held.

"I dunno. Figured you could tell me Mr. Scrub Brush Guy." Luffy replied.

"Sorry, I never learned how to read a sea chart." The man told Luffy.

"I never did either." Luffy stated. Seconds later the two were laughing as Nami and I stood up.

"Ignorance is bliss, isn't it?" Nami mumbled.

"Sounds like it." I commented.

"Anyway, even if we do somehow make it to the Grand Line the best idea would be to get as much treasure as we can and then escape." Nami stated, holding her arms up in a shrug.

"You go ahead and do that. I'm gonna find the One Piece." Luffy replied.

"Where do you get all that confidence of yours?" Nami asked.

"He takes it from Usopp." I joked, causing Nami to smile.

"I'll get it. You'll see." Luffy continued.

"Whatever you say." Nami said as she held back a snicker. She then glanced over at me before we both laughed.

"You're me." The man awed, halting Nami and I's laughter. "You're exactly like me. You even look like me. We could be twins." I looked between Luffy and the man for a moment before walking towards the man with Nami.

"How can you say he looks like you?" Nami questioned.

"I don't see it." I shrugged.

"Young man, I understand about the pursuit of your dream. When I was a younger man we use to feel the same way." The man announced.

"What do you mean we?" Luffy asked.

"We were willing to put our lives on the line to search for treasure. It was that single minded seal that changed the course of my life forever." The man continued.

"Wait, slow down." Nami pleaded as the man paused for a moment. "What are you talking about?"

"It happened twenty years ago." Before Nami even finished the man had started talking again. Nami then turned and shrugged. "I was a much younger man then. My fellow pirates and I landed on this island with a single purpose: to find the treasure that was said to rest here." The man started his story and as he explained it was revealed that his name was Gaimon. "I couldn't believe my own eyes." He went on to tell us how he climbed the steep mountain, saw some chests and fell into the only empty chest they had gotten.

"That's when I got stuck in this chest. When I came to my crew was already far out to sea. And after all this time, the fortune I found but only saw for an instance has never strayed far from my lonely old mind. Pirates have come here countless times to search for my treasure, but fortunately my friends here help me scare them away. That's how I've kept my treasure safe and sound for past twenty years." Gaimon finished as the wolf rooster, pig lion, and panda bat moved to stand around him. "It's my treasure!"

"No question." Luffy nodded. "It's yours alright."

"You've been guarding it for twenty years so I think you've earned it." I added.

"Y'know, I think we can help you out. Gaimon, why don't we get the treasure down for you?" Nami offered as she stood up.

"Wait, do you mean it?" Gaimon gasped.

"Yeah." Luffy replied.

"Nami." Usopp grumbled.

"Hey, aren't you a thief that only steals from pirates?" Luffy asked as Nami turned to look down at him.

"How rude! I am a thief, but I have a conscience." Nami stated.

"Well, why don't we go see this treasure?" I suggested as I stood up.

"I have a faster way to get there." Gaimon told us.

Within moments a giant elephant sized turtle met up with us, but it had the colored spots like a cow. We all climbed on and soon it was carrying us down a wide path. The wolf rooster and pig lion lead the way while a pink bird flew above them. The animals made all kinds of noises as they lead the way. A panda bat even flew out of the trees behind us, heading the same way we were. Soon we reached a plateau and we all climbed off. The elephant turtle cow wasn't even a quarter of the height of the plateau.

"It's here?" Luffy asked as our ride left.

"Yes, this is the place. It's all up there." Gaimon said. He paused for a moment and I noticed everyone smile. "The time has finally come. It's a great day! Get to it Straw Hat."

"Sure thing. Let's go Takara." Luffy began as he stretched his right arm up to the top of the plateau. His left arm quickly wrapped around my waist.

"Wait, what?" I questioned before attempting to push him off.

"Gum-Gum… Rocket!" Luffy yelled as his hand latched onto the top of the plateau and we were both flung up. I shrieked at the sudden motion as Luffy laughed. He then landed on the top of the plateau, still holding me under his arm.

"Let me go!" I ordered, hitting his side. He then let go and I was dropped. "Damn you." I coughed as I tried to stand up. Six chests sat on the plateau before us. As I walked over I noticed that the locks were rusted so each chest easily popped open.

"Hey, the chests. You see?" Gaimon called up.

"They're all… empty." I mumbled as we looked over each opened, and empty, chest.

"Hey!" Nami yelled.

"Hey, Luffy!" Usopp joined in.

"What's going on?" Nami continued. Luffy picked up a chest, closed it, and walked over to the edge for everyone to see.

"I found 'em. Six treasure chests." Luffy declared, not looking down.

"Yes. Good work." Gaimon laughed. "Now it's mine. I get my treasure. Come on, toss it down. I wanna see it. Go ahead and toss it down boy! Let's have a look at it!" He laughed again.

"Luffy?" I asked, he was silent for a moment before he looked down.

"No way." Luffy stated simply with a grin.

"No way?" Gaimon questioned.

"I don't wanna. Sucks for you." Luffy grinned.

"What kind of crap is that Luffy?" Nami yelled. "Give the man his gold!"

"You ass! That treasure belongs to Gaimon and you know it! Toss it all down now!" Usopp yelled. I lunged towards the edge and stood next to Luffy.

"He said he didn't want to!" I yelled back.

"Takara?" Usopp asked, surprised at my sudden statement.

"Hey, I'm not joking around Mister." Nami growled. Gaimon must have said something because Usopp and Nami quickly turned and started talking to him.

"Straw Hat, you're a great guy!" Gaimon cried. "I always had an inkling that this might be the case." Gaimon stopped for a moment as Luffy and I took a seat on the edge of the cliff. "I tried not to think about it, but still. They're empty!"

"Yep. Every last one of them." Luffy said as he set down the chest he had been holding.

"Those animals are quite the treasure on their own." I told Luffy as I looked over at his serious expression.

"It happens all the time with treasures that have maps leading to them. You set out on a quest to find it, but someone else got to it first. That's the kinda risk you have to take when you're a treasure hunting pirate. You can waste a whole lifetime searching and never once touch treasure. Plenty of pirates live like that. Believe me." Gaimon sobbed. A moment later Luffy broke into laughter.

"Try not to be too upset, old man. It's a good thing we came along after twenty years. Thirty years later and you might have been dead." Luffy smiled as he called down to the group below.

"Oh, Straw Hat." Gaimon called back.

"Since this treasure hunt's a bust, you're gonna need something else to fill your time. Why don't you join up with us and search for the One Piece?" Luffy offered.

"What? Really? You're asking me?" Gaimon questioned. "Oh… I know how I must look to you, other people wouldn't even speak to me, but you were kind. It's been so many years since I've had a friend." Gaimon sobbed again. "Thank you!" Out of nowhere Luffy grabbed my ankle and I was pulled off the plateau. I screamed as I plummeted down to the ground, landing on Luffy. I groaned and rolled off of him.

"Don't ever do that again." I stated.

"Not going to happen, we're leaving." Luffy grabbed my ankle again and pulled it up over his shoulder so that my knee bent. He had a firm grip on my right ankle and my right knee was over his shoulder. My other leg was crossed over my right leg, and rested on his shoulder. My hair hung down and the tips brushed against the ground as he walked. I crossed my arms in front of me as Luffy walked with everyone else through the forest.

"Is that comfortable?" Usopp asked, walking behind Luffy.

"If you think having all you blood go to you head is comfortable, then yes. This is very comfortable." I replied sarcastically.

As soon as Luffy was standing on the beach near our ship he let go of my ankle. I landed on my head and let out a very loud groan as my body dropped next to Luffy. Soon my right leg began to tingle as it regained circulation.

"Are you sure you wanna stay on the island Gaimon?" Luffy asked as I looked past him to Gaimon.

"Yes, I'm sure. There's something here far more valuable than treasure that I feel I must protect." Gaimon stated. I looked up to see Nami and Usopp look surprised.

"Worth more than gold?" Usopp questioned.

"For the past twenty years these guys have stood by my side through thick and thin." I pushed myself up just enough to see a bunch of the animals standing around Gaimon. "I can't leave em." Gaimon continued. The wolf rooster and pig lion then started licking his cheeks like earlier and Gaimon began laughing. The other animals let out their own calls. "Now that I know there's no treasure here I somehow finally feel free. Without that heavy burden I can concentrate on the things that really matter to me, and besides after all these years I've grown fond of this little box."

"Too bad, you're a neat guy. Pretty cool for a scrub brush." Luffy commented.

"Stop calling him that!" I growled, kicking the back of Luffy's knee. It was then I realized we had a jolly roger on a couple of flags around the ship. It was a pair of crossbones and a skull, like everyone else's, but this one had a straw hat that matched Luffy's.

"The weird creatures here are your true friends." Zoro added as I pushed myself to sit up.

"Yep. He's the weirdest of them all." Luffy commented

"Excuse me!" Gaimon yelled before we all started laughing. Soon we were all climbing onto the ship. Nami had to help me because as soon as I was able to stand my leg started to tingle with pins and needles. She helped me to the back of the ship as we lowered the mast and sailed away. I noticed another jolly roger on the mast.

"Wow." I awed, it was pretty good handy work. It was too good to by Luffy's, he drew like a child. It must have been Nami or Usopp. Zoro would have been to lazy to take the time and make it. I stood at the back of the ship as we all waved good-bye to Gaimon and the creatures.

"See ya! Take care, okay!" Luffy yelled as he waved.

"Bye Gaimon!" Nami waved as well. Once we were far enough I cleared my throat.

"Okay." I began as I turned on my heel to face Usopp and Nami. "So which one of you painted the mast?" I asked, pointing up at the jolly roger.

"That would be me." Usopp took a step forward and stuck out his chest.

"No way." I grunted, crossing my arms in front of me.

"Well you should know." Zoro stated, he smiled and threw an arm around Usopp's neck. "When it comes to painting he's in a league of his own."

"He's been drawing graffiti for fifty years straight." Nami chimed in. She stepped over and reached an arm over my shoulders.

"Wouldn't that make him an old man with grand kids?" I asked. As if on cue everyone broke into laughter.

"That's what I said too!" Nami laughed, holding her chest.

"Hey!" Usopp cried as I refocused on him.

"Fine. If you're 'in a league of your own' then I challenge you to a painting contest. We both paint Luffy, and then Nami and Zoro vote on the best one. They don't get told who does which." I challenged, holding out my hand.

"Challenge accepted." Usopp slapped my hand.

"You're gonna lose." I heard Luffy whisper to Usopp as we both ran off to grab something to paint on.

* * *

**Did you guys like it?**

**It was kinda long. I'm not exactly sure how that happened this time, but it did.**

**Well, please review. I wanna hear from anyone who reads the author's notes.**

**Well, that's all for today.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	15. Shooting Practice

***UPDATE* All chapters after this point have not been revised. *UPDATE***

**Hey guys!**

**How's everyone?**

**I'm actually really tired. I went to bed at six am and woke up at noon. I can function quite well will a small amount of sleep though.**

**Kay, are you ready for this? Are you sure your ready? Okay, I think your ready.**

**This chapter contains...**

**Ya, it cut off there. I guess you'll just have to read to find out what's in the chapter. Bummer.**

**Without further ado, I present you with chapter fifteen of Shanks' Daughter and the Straw Hats.**

**Enjoy...**

* * *

I stretched myself over the end of the cannon barrel. It was the middle of another uneventful day. I stretched over the cannon backwards, trying to touch the floor. I was on the cannon on the back area of the ship. Nami sat in a lawn chair reading something. Usopp sat near the bow, he was messing around with something. Zoro was asleep on the roof of the cabin. I took a long deep breathe. I let out a very vocal exhale, it seemed to express how bored I was.

"Hey Usopp?" I asked. He continued working on whatever, I couldn't see it from my position.

"Hey Usopp!" I called again. Now it was like he was ignoring me.

Hey Sniper Nose!" I yelled. This got his attention. He grunted and turned to glare at me.

"What do you want?" He grunted at me.

"Let's play another game. I have a perfect one in mind." He growled and turned away.

"Not a chance I'm playing another game with you. You find ways to cheat in your own games." He stated.

"It's not cheating. I make loopholes that people can find if they think. It's truly up to that person to find the hole in the game or not. You are just one of those people who can't find them." I shrugged.

"Yeah, right. I'll just get beat again." He waved me off.

"Are you still hung up on the art contest? I was the rightful winner, Nami and Zoro can agree. Both pictures are up in the kitchen so if we get another crew member they can choose which one they like better." I commented.

"You won by cheating!" He yelled.

"I said we both paint Luffy. I didn't say when. Using my imagination I pictured Luffy in the future and painted him. It wasn't my fault that you just painted him." I told the man. "If it bothers you so much you can decide on a game." He was silent for a moment.

"Can't, I'm busy." He stated. I groaned and pushed my feet of the ground. They fell back to the floor with a thumb. It was completely silent for another few minutes. The silence continued. It went on, and on, and on, and on... Where was Luffy? He had vanished sometime ago. I heard a steady amount of grunts, like hard work. I looked up to see Luffy drop a box of something heavy. It surprised everyone, except Zoro and I since he was asleep and I had seen Luffy. Luffy leaned on the box for support.

"Suckers heavy." He grunted, out of breathe.

"What the hell is that?" Nami exclaimed. The box read 'DANGER!' on each side.

"It looks like fun!" I stated, pulling myself up to sit on the barrel of the cannon. I stared at the box in awe.

"Found it in the store room." Luffy continued. With a closer look, I noticed that it held cannon balls in it.

"It's a crate full of cannon balls." Nami told us the obvious.

"We gonna shoot some?" I asked intently.

"I figured since we have our own cannon now, we can fit in some target practice." He motioned to the cannon I sat on.

"Just leave the cannoning to me." Usopp proclaimed, a mood change from earlier. Meanwhile Luffy walked over and we both began examining the cannon.

"So how do you work this thing?" Luffy asked, rubbing his head. I poked at a screw sticking out of a wheel.

"Well, there's gotta be a fuse. What do we do to reload it after it's been shot?" I questioned. I heard Usopp yell something.

"Zoro!" Luffy called up to the sleeping swordsmen. "You know how to shoot this?" He gave no answer, and I barely saw him over the edge of the roof.

"Asleep. The guy sleeps all the time." Nami told us. She was now reading a map.

"How can someone sleep so much?" I wondered aloud.

"He's no fun." Luffy stated, I nodded in agreement.

"You know, just to the south of here there's a reef that would make excellent target practice." I looked over at Nami.

"Let's go!" Luffy yelled above me.

"Sniper Nose! How about a round of shooting practice!" I called to Usopp.

"You won't be able to beat me this time!" He agreed. I knew I wouldn't beat him, his father was Yasopp the greatest sniper I knew. Like they said: like father, like son. In all honesty, I just wanted to let him win a fight.

"Let's hurry up!" I yelled running towards the front of the ship. I leaned forward off the front of the bow. Within no less then thirty or so minutes we came in sight of the reef. We pulled up at a fair distance from a giant rock. I jumped to the back of the ship to find them loading the cannon.

"You first Luffy." Luffy aimed at the far away rock and loaded the cannon. We fired it with a giant bang. The cannon ball exploded way out from the rock we were aiming at.

"That was way off the mark." Luffy commented. I pushed him out of the way and began aiming to the left since Luffy's shot ended up way to the right. I began loading it when Zoro popped his head up.

"Hey! What's so loud down there?" Zoro questioned.

"Cannon firing practice." Luffy and I replied at the same time. I shoved the cannon ball into the cannon and made sure it was aimed where I wanted it. It launched out of the cannon, I watched at it barely missed the top of the rock.

"But it's not going so well." Luffy stated after watching my shot.

"What!? I was so close!" I exclaimed, holding the sides of my head in anguish.

"Let the expert take a go at it." Usopp proclaimed, he pointed a thumb at his chest. "Judging by the flying distance of the last two, this should do it." Usopp finished readjusting the cannon. I walked over and collapsed beside Nami's chair as his cannon ball went flying off.

"Awesome! You hit that thing on the first try!" Luffy exclaimed. Nami reached down and ran a hand through my hair.

"Sad that you lost?" She asked, brushing the air from my eyes.

"Not really. I had known he was going to win from the start. I'm just really bored now." I let out an exasperated sigh.

"Well, you could go make us lunch. I heard Luffy say that your cooking's good." She told me, putting down what she was reading. I held up my right hand and pointed to the scars I had on my fingers and palm.

"See these. They're all scars from burns, cuts, and such. I am known as a good cook sometimes. Most of the time I nearly lose a finger, or burn my hand on a pan." I stated, lowering my hand.

"Your gonna be cooking!" Luffy exclaimed, he ran over and dragged me up to my feet. "Can you make me something with meat?!"

"No, I'm not gonna cook." I told him, a scowl on my face.

"Nope, your gonna make me meat!" He threw me over my shoulder and began carrying me to the kitchen. I kicked his chest and punched his back.

"Let me go! Let me go!" I screamed to no avail. He carried me into the kitchen and set me down in front of him, I had my arms crossed in front of me. I glared holes into him.

"Come on! Please! For me?" He pleaded, giving me a look that he knew I couldn't resist. I groaned and pushed him away. I walked past him and over to the stove.

"Just this once, got it." I growled. I aimed a wooden spoon, that I had picked up, at him. He nodded and I moved on. Before I began cooking anything, everyone had swarmed in and was getting in the way. I couldn't reached the stuff in the fridge cause Zoro was asleep against it. Everyone else was taking up the space on the table.

"Are any of you even hungry?" I asked, looking over all of them. Everyone shook there head, but Luffy began waving his arms around like a freak.

"I want meat!" He exclaimed.

"Meat is too hard to make." I turned around and grabbed an apple, which I then threw at him. "Eat this." I stated before walking over and sitting beside Nami, opposite Luffy and Usopp.

"I'll humor you for now." Usopp continued a conversation from earlier. "The second you do something cowardly I'm taking your post."

"I'm good with that." Luffy replied.

"That's never gonna happen Usopp." I told the Sniper.

"You know guys, I was thinking. There's one other positioned we have to fill before we can head out to the Grand Line." Luffy brought up another subject.

"You're right, the kitchen is really nice on this ship. Just, pay me and I'll do it." Nami told him, nonchalantly.

"You want us to pay you for making us food! I can't believe that you'd think we would do that!" Zoro yelled.

"That's completely ridiculous!" Nami laughed, everyone else was silent. What was she planning? The silence continued for another moment after her laugh.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't charge Takara. Zoro, I'm appalled you would think I would do it!" Nami stated. I broke into laughter. Of course, why hadn't I seen that coming? I heard the boys groan at the fact.

"We need someone more professional." Zoro mentioned.

"Besides, Takara's already our negotiator and my first mate." Luffy stated. "She is really good at singing though."

"Luffy!" I growled, slamming my hands on the table and pushing myself towards him.

"I suppose it is vital for long trips." Zoro acted as if he hadn't heard Luffy's final comment.

"No decent pirate ship should be without one... A musician!" Luffy finished. I think we were talking about two different roles here. It was all kinda confusing though.

"Are you an idiot?" Zoro groaned.

"What do you think we're doing out here?" Nami insisted.

"Just when I thought you were gonna say something smart." Usopp commented.

"He's right though! My dad had a musician on his ship." I sided with Luffy.

"But we're pirates!" He declared, trying to support his claim. "And pirates sing a lot, don't ya know." There was a smash outside the room.

"Get out here you damn pirates!" A man yelled at us from outside.

"Hey! A visitor!" I exclaimed as more smashing sounds were heard. I ran to the door, but was pulled out of the way by Luffy who went in front of me.

"Hey, what the hell!?" He asked once he opened the door. I peered over his shoulder to see a man with black hair and he had a tattoo on his face and sunglasses. Luffy stepped out then slammed the door in my face. I was then dragged away from the door by Nami and Usopp. There was inaudible shouting and smashing.

"What's going on!?" I yelled jumping up and trying to look past there big heads to see what was going on outside.

"How many are there?" Zoro chimed in. There was another couple smashes.

"Uh... One." Nami replied, eyes glued to the outside.

"Then just let him handle it." Zoro told us.

"I still wanna see!" I whined. No matter where I went I couldn't see passed a head of fluffy black with bandanna and a head of orange. After more smashing and shouting I gave up and collapsed onto one of the benches. I heard Zoro get up, but I didn't pay it much mind. I watched as he pushed past the two at the door and out onto the deck. The door closed behind him.

"What's going on now?" I asked, bored again.

"I think Zoro knows the guy out there." Usopp told me.

"I wanna go meet him!" I exclaimed pushing up and trying to get past the two.

"No, you stay here. I'll let you out in a minute." With that the two managed to slip out and somehow lock me in! I ran over to the door and banged on it.

"Why can't I come with you!?" I yelled in between bangs. I watched the two move their lips, but no sound came out. I growled lowly and glared at them through the window. They were gonna pay for this.

* * *

**So, how was it?**

**Did you like it?**

**Review and tell me. I want to know more about what you liked about it.**

**Actually, I just want to hear from you guys... It's lonely on my side. I know guests can review, and I know people read and follow this story. I would appreciate more then four reviews for a chapter. It's just a wish... Your choice to make it possible or not.**

**That's all for this round!**

**See ya with a new chapter soon.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	16. A Couple of Flirts

**Long time no see!**

**How's life everyone?**

**Well I must say, doing math while you have a headache is really freaking hard! Not only that but I had to get a ride to school today because it was thirty degrees below freezing! There should be signs posted everywhere after Halloween where I live. They all should say 'BEWARE! Winter is coming!' cause that is how bad it can get.**

**Other than that life is long, and hard, and painful, but we just got to live it. Sometimes that sucks!**

**Sorry for my little 'Philosophy Moment'.**

**That's all, I promise!**

**Now let's get on with the story...**

* * *

"LET ME OUT!" I screamed. I had been stuck in this room for practically FOREVER! Nami kept giving me these looks of 'Really?' every single time I banged on the door. In the end I resorted to screaming my lungs out.

"Open the-" I placed my weight on the door knob and pushed my face to the glass of the window. The door made a click noise as the knob fell downward. The door flew open and I crashed through it, stumbling over and falling to the floor. I pushed myself up from the ground and glared at Nami.

"Do you mean to tell me it wasn't even LOCKED!?" I yelled at Nami.

"I guess you just didn't notice." She shrugged. I jumped up and down to the lower deck near her. I pointed a finger at her chest and glared into her eyes. Her face went from nonchalant to a grimace.

"I am this close t-"

"I know you won't do anything. You love me too much." She stated, smiling and hitting my finger away.

"I- uh... Shut up!" I yelled, crossing my arms and turning away from her. My eyes caught on two new people. The one from earlier with the sunglasses and a tattoo on his cheek. Now there was a man with a green jacket, a red helmet like thing, and he was pale with blood showing through some bandages around his stomach as well as coming out of his nose and some cut under his helmet. He was also missing a tooth. He seemed to be unconscious and breathing heavy.

"Who are these two?" I asked, looking up at the conscious one.

"Oh, my names Johnny and this is Yosaku." The tattoo cheek one introduced.

"My names Takara." I held out my hand for him to shake it. He grabbed my hand with both of his, cupping it.

"I'm sorry for ruining your fine ship Takara, I promise to make it up to you." He then pulled my hand up and kissed the back of it gently. I felt a light blush creep onto my cheeks. I retracted my arm, hiding it behind my back while scratching my head with my other arm. The blush was clearly visible on my cheeks.

"No, no. It's perfectly fine." I laughed nervously. I lowered both my arms back to my side as I looked down at Yosaku. Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around my waist and I was pulled back. Luffy's head appeared over my shoulder and a bunch of limes covered the ground below me. I felt a heavier blush appear when I realized where Luffy's hands were.

"Don't do that to Taka!" He yelled over my shoulder.

"Luffy." I said calmly, he turned his head and looked at me. I looked down, to hide my blush. My arms where trapped at my sides.

"What is it?" He asked, clearly clueless.

"If you want to keep your hands I suggest you let go of me right now." I continued my calm demeanor.

"What do you mean? Aren't these your hips?" He squeezed his hands. Somehow I managed to escape his grasp and kick the side of his head as I spun around. I glared down at his body on the floor next to me, he was still conscious.

"Little too low to be my hips!" I yelled. He looked at his hands for a moment, reenacting what just happened in his head. He then looked up at me, blushing. He flew up and put both his hands on my shoulders.

"I'm SO sorry Taka!" He apologized.

"When did you start using that nickname again?" I asked. He thought for a moment before shrugging.

"Luffy! The limes!" Nami ordered.

"Right!" Luffy quickly picked up all the limes before running over to Usopp. They both began dripping lime juice onto Yosaku's face. I walked over and stood on the right of Johnny, who was next to Nami, and Zoro stood on the other side of her

"He's got scurvy." Nami said downheartedly as we watched Usopp and Luffy.

"Scurvy?" Johnny questioned.

"If we weren't too late he'll be just fine in a few days." Nami replied.

"Ha! Really Big Sis! Really! Thank you, Big Sis!" Johnny stated, getting up close to Nami and thanking her. She easily pushed away Johnny's face.

"Please, don't call me that. It sounds so dumb. Besides, I'm not a magician. This used to be a hopeless disease that plagued sailors, and we just know how to deal with it now." Nami told him, totally uninterested.

"Come on, he's just thankful." I encouraged Nami to be nicer.

"Thank you as well Little Sis Taka!" He turned and hugged me. "You have such a great crew!" He told me as he set me back down.

"HEY! I'm the captain!" Luffy shouted, he squeezed the lime's tighter and I watched as lime juice got in his eyes. He let out a small cry of pain before blinking it out and getting back to work.

"Is he serious? I mean, you had such authority when you got out here. He's just..." He motioned to Luffy.

"Yup, but he wanted this. I'm just the first mate." I told him.

"Scurvy is caused by a simple deficiency of plant derived nutrients, like vitamin C. Back in the old days they couldn't carry fresh fruits and vegetables because they couldn't store them. We know better now." I watched as Luffy and Usopp began stuffing limes into the poor guys mouth.

"You're smart!" Luffy turned to us. "Like a doctor!" He mused.

"Well, now how bout that. I was right. She isn't dumb." Usopp shrugged. Meanwhile, Yosaku began quietly coughing, but nonetheless I still managed to hear it. He then reached up in a panic towards his mouth. I ran over and shoved Usopp out of the way. I reached a hand behind Yosaku's back and lifted his top half up. From there I began patting and rubbing his back.

"YOU GUYS ARE MORONS! EVERY SAILOR SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SCURVY!" Nami screamed at the unsuspecting boys. Yosaku began coughing out all the lime's stuffed in his mouth. Everyone turned toward us. Yosaku sat up straight, lime juice covering his face from earlier. He was no longer pale, or bleeding. He jumped up and instantly he and Johnny were jumping around in some kind of happy dance.

"Hooray! Hooray! Hooray! Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!" They both cheered.

"Watch, he's gonna crash." I whispered to Nami.

"Probably." She nodded in agreement. "YOU CAN'T HEAL THAT QUICKLY!" She suddenly yelled at the other two boys. They then stopped and turned to all of us.

"Let us introduce ourselves." They both began.

"My name is Johnny." Johnny stated, he had an arm crossed in front of him and his other arm turned up toward his face.

"And I'm Yosaku." Yosaku told us. He stood in a mirrored position to the left of Johnny. Except he had his hand on his chin, and a cigarette in his mouth.

"Together we're the baddest pirate bounty hunting duo in the world." They said at the same time, once more.

"Big Bro Zoro there used to be one of us." Johnny began.

"Glad to make your acquaintance." Yosaku finished. Zoro pushed past us and over to the duo.

"Small world. Never thought I'd see you guys again." He told them, he stopped a couple feet in front of them

"Well if you think your surprised." Johnny stated.

"We never imagined the pirate hunter Zoro became a pirate himself." Yosaku told him. This was all way too confusing for me.

"Tell me about it." Zoro stuck out his hand and Johnny grabbed it in some kind of shake.

"Big Bro." Johnny stated. Yosaku went to do the same when he went pale again and passed out. His body landed with a heavy thud.

"Timber." I whispered to Nami who laughed silently.

"Du.. uh... Hey, partner?" Johnny pleaded.

"Luffy, help me." I stated. I walked over to Yosaku and pulled his left arm over my shoulders. Luffy ran over and took the other arm. Together we carried Yosaku to a small side room beside the kitchen. We laid him on some kind of table and left him to sleep, joining everyone else in the kitchen to talk. Well, it wasn't really talking. Zoro was asleep against the wall, Usopp was eating which Luffy happily joined in, Johnny stood in the corner, and Nami wrote in a journal. We were all quiet and I sat next to Nami. I reached out and grabbed a loaf of bread munching on it. We all waited in silence, the only sound coming from Nami writing. The sun slowly went down and disappeared.

"Let this be a lesson to you." Nami began, breaking the silence.

"Yup, this is the kinda trouble you run into when you chose a life on the sea." Zoro chimed in.

"Which means when we're at sea, we really gotta think about how we can get the right amount of nutrients with very little food." Usopp joined.

"I veto Nami's earlier suggestion. I don't know how to do that." I commented. Leaning back against the wall.

"It's absolutely necessary that someone on this ship knows how to do that." Nami told us. Luffy took a bite of food.

"It'sh nesheshary?" He chewed. He swallowed fast. "Right! This ship needs a cook!" Everyone looked up at Luffy. He stood up and placed his hands on the table. "Let's go find us a cook!" He exclaimed.

"I'm in! Good idea. We'll have yummy food even while we're out at sea." Usopp stated, standing beside Luffy who was smiling wildly.

"Agreed!" I proclaimed, raising an arm up.

"That's right! You got it!" Luffy told us.

"A cook? I know just the place, and the food is gonna blow your mind." Johnny chimed in. This peaked my interest. We were practically in the middle of nowhere, where was he talking about?

"Alright! Let's go! Where to?" Luffy pushed, his smile never faltering.

"Consider yourselves warned." Johnny began. "This place is close to the Grand Line." He walked over towards Zoro. "And I've heard a lot of rumors lately. That a certain hawk-eyed man your looking for is there." Zoro grabbed his swords and gave a creepy smile. A hawk-eyed man? Good he be talking about Uncle Drac? "Set a course." He pointed towards the wall away from the door. "North North East! Our destination is, the sea restaurant, BARATIE!" He declared. I jumped up and grabbed Johnny's other arm. He turned towards me, a smile still on his face.

"What 'hawk-eyed man' are you talking about?" I asked, he had to look down a few inches to meet my gaze. He turned and patted my head.

"Nothing that concerns you Little Sis Takara." He declares, brushing me off. Luffy, Usopp, and Zoro lead him out of the room and down to a room to stay in. Once they had left I walked over to the wall and punched it. No mark was left on the wall, but somehow I managed to hurt my hand.

"OW!" I shouted, holding my right hand. Nami rushed over and grabbed my arm, examining my hand.

"What was that about?" She asked me, looking at the redness around my knuckles.

"I hate it when people treat me like a kid. I deserve every right as they do to know things." I declared, looking at the floor. She pushed my head up so we were looking each other in the eye.

"I promise to never keep things from you." She then brought me into a hug. I felt her heartbeat skip. It broke my heart, that skip, it told me she was lying.

* * *

"So... What do you think?" Johnny announced. Our ship was on a direct course with another ship. The other ship was shaped kinda like a fish and had 'BARATIE' printed in blue on the side. It was actually kinda cool looking. We stood at the front of our ship gazing out at the ship before us.

"Wow! It's a big fish!" Luffy cheered.

"How lovely!" Nami commented.

"It's the coolest place ever!" Usopp announced.

"It's amazing" I awed. It was very quaint looking.

"Just like I told you right?" Johnny asked. Suddenly a chorus of bells, and horns, and whistles went off to the ship's right. We all turned to see, of all things, a Marine's ship! It was ginormous compared to our ship. It had cannons all over the side of it. I ran over to the bow of the ship. I climbed up onto the bow and held on, peering over as closely as I could at the ship. It went at the same pace as us towards the huge Baratie. Maybe they were just coming to eat, like us? A man came out into view. He wore a white tuxedo with a blue shirt under it. He also had pink hair and a scar across his right cheek. He smashed a hand onto the rail of his ship, his knuckles were made of metal.

"I am Iron Fist Fullbody!" He announced. "But you can just call me Sir. You there! Who's the captain? Identify yourself." Luffy paraded forward.

"My name is Luffy!" He told 'Sir'. Usopp stepped in front of Luffy.

"My name is Usopp, got it!" He declared.

"We only made out flag the day before yesterday." Luffy tried to continue.

"That's right Marine, and I drew it!" Usopp continued to interrupt. Luffy gave him annoyed looks of disapproval.

"Heh, you did? Is that so? Hey, you two! Right there." I couldn't see his eyes, but they seemed to be looking at Johnny and Yosaku hiding behind a door. "I've seen you before. Your that bounty hunter duo that goes after the small fish, right?" Johnny jumped out.

"No, well we..." Johnny stammered.

"So, you've finally been caught by pirates." Sir continued.

"Well... actually we..." Johnny couldn't quite make full sentences.

"Heheheheh, oh that's a laugh." Sir declared. I didn't like him! A girl with blonde curly hair walked out from behind him and hooked her arms around Sir's arm. They began talking to each other, just inaudible. They looked like they were about to leave.

"Hey wait!" Johnny announced himself. He was going to get us killed, this was not a man to play with. "You think small type bounty hunters would go after these guys?" He yelled, throwing tons of papers from inside his jacket. As the papers slowly fell I noticed that they were all 'Wanted' papers. Sir ignored us and walked away toward the other end of his ship. He stopped in front of his men and gave them a thumbs up. He slowly moved his thumb to point down.

"Luffy! They're planning something." I called out quiet enough that they wouldn't hear. He gave me a knowing look before I noticed Nami crouching in front of Johnny and Yosaku. She had one of the papers in her hand and she looked depressed.

"Hey, you guys, look!" We turned to see Usopp staring at the other ship. "They are pointing a cannon right at us!" He yelled.

"Everybody down!" I shouted. A blast was fired, smoke dispersing in every direction.

"Leave it to me!" Luffy climbed onto the railing. He wrapped his legs around a rail post and got ready to stretch his arms. "Gum Gum!" He stretched out, one arm hooking to the mass and the other hooking onto the ram horn next to me. He began stretching back as the cannon ball hit him.

"Get down!" I shouted again, shoving Usopp's head down.

"Slingshot!" Luffy screamed. There was a creak and the part of the ram's horn he had been holding broke off. His arm went flying back at him and the course of his 'Slingshot' was now aimed at me! The cannon ball went flying forward, catching me as it flew towards the Baratie. I didn't get any time to think as I was thrown into a wall of the Baratie and the cannon crashed into the roof a floor above me. There was a giant explosion above my head and I quickly covered it to bloke from any debris.

"God!" I groaned, holding my back, which now hurt because of the wall.

"You all right?" I turned and looked up at a man with blonde hair covering his left eye. He wore a nice fancy tuxedo, this one black. He also had a cut little curl at the end of his eyebrow. "I mean, normal ladies wouldn't be able to handle a crash like that." He stepped over and offered me a hand up. I took it and he pulled me to my feet. "You on the other hand are another story." He let go of my hand and reached for my hair. He pulled it forward and twisted it in his fingers. "It's a beautiful color, just right on a gorgeous lady like yourself." He complimented. I felt a blush grow on my cheeks. Two guys in twenty-four hours, three if you counted Luffy which I didn't. He seemed a bit surprised by the blush on my cheeks.

"I'm sorry If I caused any trouble." I bowed in apology.

"No need, just give me the name of such a pretty face." He stated pulling up on my chin so I looked directly into his eye. I felt the blush grow more.

"Takara." I stated briefly.

"Nice to meet you Takara, my names Sanji. Why don't you come with me." It was more of an order than a request as he hooked my arm in his and walked me down to the main floor. "I can have the best table, and the best wine gotten for you. I will also prepare your meal myself. Not like anyone else will do a better job." I heard him mutter the last part. He walked me to a two seated table with a nice table cloth. He walked off for a bit then came back with a wine glass and a bottle of wine.

He set the bottle down in front of me. He pulled the cork out and tucked it away in his pocket. He slowly poured the red liquid into the clear glass. It felt like a long time, but it must not have been since that Sir guy wasn't here yet. He silently took a seat beside me. He poured himself a glass and took a sip.

"It's a nice wine, don't ya think?" He asked, gazing at me. I also got his eye looking down instead of at my eyes. I picked up the glass and sat back taking a little sip of the wine. It was sweet, but kinda sour as well.

"This is a very good wine. It must be... Würzburger Stein." I guessed one of the wines my dad had let me taste so long ago.

"I like a lady who knows her wines." Sanji laughed. I smiled at him, the wine was actually really good.

"Get back to work Sanji!" A chef yelled. Sanji snarled and turned back to me with a smile.

"I'll come back with food in a minute." He told me as he stood up and pushed in his chair. As he walked away I saw him pull out a cigarette and lit it. I sat back in my chair sipping at the wine. The doors creaked open and I turned to see Sir standing in the doorway. I turned away from him, in an attempt to hide my identity. He escorted his date past my table and over to one by a window. I breathed a sigh of relief as he sat facing away from me. I continued to sip at the wine, waiting for something to happen. It was boring being all alone in a restaurant with great wine.

After a while I noticed Sanji show up again. He walked past me with a smile, the cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He held a bottle of wine as he walked over to the table Sir was at. I turned and watched as he poured the wine into the two glasses on their table. Sanji then waited beside their table, like he knew something would happen. Everyone around me was giving out silent compliments about him. In truth, he just seemed like a dirt-bag to me.

"This wine must be the famous Würzburger Stein." I heard Sir announce, everyone looking at him. I peered over at my wine. There was a clatter as Sanji set the bottle down on the table, pulling the napkin around it off. "Tell me waiter! Am I right?" Sir sounded so... happy about this.

"Not even close, sir." I heard Sanji reply. I held in a laugh. Sanji turned and began heading back my way. He stopped for a moment near my table. "And sir, my name is Sanji I'm the sous-chef. All the waiters ran off as of yesterday." He called back to Sir. Sanji stopped beside my table.

"Nice trick." I smirked, sipping the wine.

"Thank you, now why don't you come with me. Again, I know, but I think a girl of your standards should check out the kitchen." I turned and smiled at him. He reached out a hand and I took it as he guided me away up a staircase. I still held the glass of wine. We entered a kitchen. Chefs in little white hats went in every direction filling orders. Away in the corner sat a small, clean, pristine area. Set out were several ingredients and a list of how to cook them.

"This is where you cook?" I asked, peering at him.

"Yup, better then nothing. Right now I'm a bit busy so if you could make this for me that would be great. I can tell your a great cook. And I won't be gone long so just get started and I'll be back before you know it." With that he ran off, passing all the chefs and heading back towards the place where everyone was eating. What had I just gotten roped into?

* * *

**Ta da!**

**Kinda long.**

**It's late here... I hope you enjoyed it. I had fun writing it.**

**Oh, by the way. Look for another fanfic I'm making. It hasn't been made yet, but it'll be up before Turkey Day(Thanksgiving).**

**Review for me, it'll be a good deed of the day!**

**Thanks for reading.**


	17. Unheeded Advice

**Hey guys!**

**Long time!**

**I'm back! FYI the song in this chapter is the first one piece ending song. If u want to listen to it, look it up on YouTube.**

**Also, this is not an actual recipe, I made it all up!**

**I got nothing else for ya.**

**Enjoy...**

* * *

I looked at the supplies I was given. Tons of different spices, a container of angel hair spaghetti noodles, and a chest sized fish. The recipe card set out was a boring bland recipe of grilled fish with a side of noodles. It sounded quite gross, and frankly I wasn't going to make it! I had another thing in mind. I walked over to a wall and grabbed an apron off a hook. I tied it on and began pulling my hair back. A couple of people were watching me, but simply brushed it off and moved on.

Once my hair was up I walked to a sink and washed my hands. From there I stole a clean pot and a pan from a station on my way back to my spot. I filled the pot with water and placed it on the stove, turning that spot on the stove to high. I set the pan on the stove and added oil, leaving it to heat up at a low temp. I took the fish and quickly skinned and gutted it. The skin and guts were thrown in an empty bowl.

I began chopping the fish meat into little bite sized cubes, tossing them into the pan as I finished them. I was halfway through when I sliced the side of my hand. I cringed and quickly grabbed a paper towel, which I wrapped around my hand. Once it looked safe I finished the fish, flipping everything over in the pan to get them cooked correctly. Unconsciously I began singing as I went about my business.

"As a kid I never stopped searching for a great treasure." I checked the pot to see that it was boiling. I turned the temp down and added the noodles. I then grabbed some spices and sprinkled them onto the fish as they cooked. I took one out and blew on it before taking a bite. "Ow! Hot, hot!" I squealed, fanning my mouth with my hands. Other then being hot, it tasted pretty good. I took the last of the spices, which was not much, and put them in with the noodles.

"I had a map in my mind that I knew would lead me." I continued to sing. I flipped the fish once more before moving them to the side. I then checked the noodles. The noodles tasted right so I took the pot and poured out the hot water. I turned off the burner and poured all the noodles into the pan with the fish to be fried.

"I had to find my way to that place before someone could beat me."I flipped them a few times, the smells of the two foods merged into a delicious aroma. Once everything looked a perfect brownish color I turned off the burner and moved it off the stove.

"The promised land was in my grasp and I wouldn't let go." I took the pot and placed it in the nearest sink. I then grabbed a couple plates on my way back. I took the food out of the pan and placed it on the five plates I had grabbed. I then grabbed a fork from nearby and tasted the fish and the noodles, good... They were missing something though.

"My only dream, I won't stop chasing it until it comes true." Before I went to find my missing ingredient I took all my dishes and put them into the same sink as the pot. All that was left on the section I had started out with were the five plates.

"But, if the world ever changes I'l- AHHH! OWWWWWWW!" I spun around to go find the missing ingredient to be met with the faces of most of the kitchen. I let out a scream in surprise before stumbling back and placing my hand on the, still hot, burner of the stove. I instantly jumped away bending down into a ball and clutching my hand. I then jumped back up and ran over to the sink, turning on the cold water and sticking my hand under it.

"That was some good singing you did there!" A chef called out. I turned and scratched the back of my head with my not burned hand.

"Please don't ever mention it. EVER." I stated, a smile on my face.

"Here, wrap this around your hand." A chef came forward and handed me a roll of bandages. I took it and bowed before turning off the water.

"Thank you, now if you don't mind getting back to work." I mentioned the task they had been lacking at.

"Right!" They all chorused before going around frantically getting back to work. I took the roll and began wrapping the bandage around my hand. A round pink mark was spreading around the palm of my left hand.

"Now isn't that just great." I muttered. Once the bandage was on I took off into the crowd of chefs, ducking under, through and past them. I got to a station that had a distinct smell of tomatoes. I walked closer and peered over the shoulder of the chef at the tomato scented station. He had a bowl of seasoned tomato sauce getting stirred in front of him. I quickly nabbed the bowl away from the chef and stuck my finger in the sauce, taking my finger out and sticking it in my mouth. Found it!

"Mind if I borrow this? Thanks." Without a reply from the man I went back to my station. I muttered the occasional 'Excuse me.' when I bumped someone. I finally got back to the station to find that the sink was now empty, all the pots and pans had vanished. I didn't pay it much mind at the moment as I took the sauce and drizzled it over the food on the five plates. I smelled them, and took a bite of one. Tasted good, looked good, smelled good. I was done. I grabbed a plate and placed it on my head before grabbing another two in my left and right hand.

"Hey!" I called into the crowd of bustling chefs. "Who dealt with my dishes?" I asked. There was silence before a man chimed in and came forward. "Enjoy this." I handed him the plate. "Don't waste any. Now, I need someone to give these last two plates to the head chef, and the one who has worked the hardest in the last few days." I motioned to the plates on the counter. "Make sure nothing gets wasted." I took the plate off my head and made my way through the crowd to the stairs. "Have a nice day, and back to work." I ordered sweetly before gliding away down the stairs. I looked to find that my table had been taken.

"Takara!" I turned to see Usopp and Nami waving their hands at me from a table not too far away. I walked over and stood by a seat. On the other side of the room stood Sanji, he was being held back by three chefs. Sir, the marine from earlier, sat bloody on the floor. I set both plates down and turned to the situation.

"-assholes like you who think they're such big shots they can push anybody around piss me off!" Sanji yelled at Sir, who did not deserve to be called by his real name, based on what I was hearing. "Your not such a big shot now are ya? Are ya!?" Sanji continued to growl.

"Did you make this?" I turned and looked at Usopp. He pointed at the plates of food I had made. I took one of the plates and slid it to the center of the table.

"Try it, and this plate is for Luffy when he gets here." I motioned to the plate still beside me. I turned my attention back to what was going on with Sanji as I heard Zoro and Nami reach towards it and grab some. I began walking past the customers, who decided to no longer sit, towards Sanji. I was only a few feet away when I heard a creak above me. I stopped and looked up as the ceiling caved in and two people fell down on top of me. I gasped a bit and coughed at the amount of dust. I opened my eyes to find Luffy lying across my stomach on his back and an old man was trying to get up at my feet. Luffy gasped and sat up.

"I can breathe again." He muttered. I rolled my eyes and punched him, hitting his side.

"Good, now why don't you let me try and breathe?" He rubbed at the spot I hit and looked at me.

"Taka! I am so sorry for shooting you at this ship!" He apologized. I held back a chuckle.

"With you that's an occupational hazard." I stated.

"What's-"

"This is all your fault, you brat!" The old man began yelling at Luffy. He had a braided mustache, big nose, giant chef hat, and a peg leg of all things. I had this overlying suspicion that I somehow knew him. Could be an old pirate... Why would an old pirate be managing a sailing restaurant? That can't be it, but it had to be... This was way too confusing.

"Why is it my fault!? You attacked me!" Luffy yelled back. They both stood over me, I was still on the ground covered in ceiling debris.

"Boss! Can you stop messing around and give us a hand!?" a chef pleaded. I looked up to see Sanji still trying to attack the marine. "Sanji's gone crazy again!" I quickly rolled over and jumped up, hitting my head on the 'Boss' and Luffy's heads. We all recoiled in pain, but I quickly recovered and walked over to the marine. I tore off apart of the apron I had on.

"Hey." I commented.

"Why are you helping me, you should be trying to stop that friend of yours?" He growled. I glared up at him as I began padding the torn part of the apron at the blood of the man.

"I will have you know that I don't care that you're a Marine and I'm a Pirate. We're both humans, and you just decided to get on the bad side of someone who cares deeply for something. Now if you wanna die, be my guest. I can see if they will let Sanji go. If you wanna live, keep your mouth shut. Also..." I stopped padding his head and slapped him. "That's for being a total dick about thinking you have total power over everyone." I then stood up, taking the apron off and draping it on a chair beside him. "I have better things to do so you may use this apron to stop the bleeding." I then turned back to the situation. I quickly ducked as a leg, actually it may have been a peg leg, flew at me. It proceeded to hit the marine's face and he was thrown back. Sanji sat on the floor in the opposite direction of the marine.

"I guess my advice didn't work." I snickered, looking back at the marine.

"Who are you?" Boss grumbled at me. I stepped forward and readjusted his chef hat.

"My name's Takara and I'm a friend of Sanji and Luffy." I stepped back and looked into his eyes. "It would be nice to be your friend too, but I guess I gotta earn that. If either Luffy or Sanji has caused this restaurant heavy damage I'm willing to work in the free time I have as a waitress. If that will help you any." I state openly. He was silent for a moment.

"You seem like a nice girl... go man the front doors and escort anyone who comes in, to a table." He ordered. I bowed slightly before taking off to the front door. I stopped by one of the open doors as one of the marines from Sir's ship came stumbling up to it.

"Lieutenant Fullbody! Lieutenant Fullbody!" The man yelled. He stopped and turned to face everyone in the room. He stared straight at Sir. "We've got trouble!" He called. He had blood running out of a wound above his eye. "Sir, he's escaped! Pirate Krieg's henchman attacked us and vanished!" He cried.

"He what!?" Fullbody looked just as bad as his crewman.

"Well sir, we've already lost seven of our men and the only thing we wanted out of him was a lead on finding Krieg." The man continued, he shadowed his eyes with the edge of his marine cap.

"Impossible!" Fullbody exclaimed, I turned my attention to him. Krieg was a strong pirate captain I had heard about. He had apparently gone to the Grand Line a little while ago. Krieg was strong, so no doubt one of his men could easily take down a group of marines. Question is, what did Fullbody do to make sure that didn't happen? "When we picked him up three days ago he was right on the verge of starving to death. And we haven't fed him anything! Where'd he get the strength!?" No food for who knows how long, and he's on the verge of starving to death. I pulled my hair out of it's ponytail and aimed the rubber band at Fullbody's face. I let it slip out of my grip and it flung itself at him. It managed to hit him, directly into his open eye. His head flew back and he reached up to hold his eye. He re-situated his head and looked at me, his mouth gaped open.

"Sorry, I guess my hand just slipped." I commented innocently before stomping over to Nami's table and grabbing the small amount of leftovers from the plate I had set in the center of the table. I then turned and began walking back towards the door. Starving a man is not right. I would find Krieg's henchman and give him these leftovers. It was a good amount left too, so it would be good eating for someone near starving to death.

BOOM

I froze in my tracks and looked up. I was halfway to the door. The original marine was now lying on the ground. A man stood in his place. He slowly walked in and took a seat at one of the many empty tables near the door. All the customers had disappeared as well. He held a gun in his right hand as he sat down on a chair and lifted a leg up onto the table. He was pale in color and had blood streaming down the left side of his face.

"I don't care what it is, just bring me something to eat." He ordered, his voice was gruff and hoarse. "Come on, this is a restaurant." I diverted my course and walked over to the table. The man didn't look all that menacing. A chef with blue shaved hair and an extremely weird mustache stood at the table. I pulled out a chair and moved it beside the henchman's chair. I sat down in it and placed the plate on the table near his leg.

"Where'd you get that food?" The chef ordered a reply from me. I plastered a fake smile and glared up at the man.

"I will let you know that I made it. Even ask your crew of chefs upstairs. I just so happened to offer this plate to my friends." I pointed over to them. "You can go ask them if it's true. Now, these are the leftovers they didn't eat. I don't know about you, but if I was starving to death I would like a kind man or woman to show up and offer food. I don't care if they got it from the trash, or it's covered with too much salt. Even if the person who last ate it was suffering from a painful disease. I would eat the food because dying of food poisoning, from eating to much salt, or from a painful disease is so much better then starving to death." I told the chef. My smile had disappeared and I was now glaring at the chef. He was no longer giving a smile either. We glared into each others eyes at a complete standoff.

"I don't want your food, thank you for the offer." The henchman placed a hand on my knee and I broke out of the standoff. Our eyes met and even though he was a part of the all powerful Krieg pirates, I saw kindness in his eyes. I received his message loud and clear. I took the plate of leftovers and stormed out of the room. Once out of sight I pushed my back against the wall and slid along it to sit on the outer deck.

"Dammit." I grumbled to myself. I heard a smash of a chair. I heard something getting kicked and to end it all off, people seemed to be cheering. The cheering soon ceased and I stood up. I turned back into the room. In silence I walked over to Nami's table, set down the food, and began wandering between tables taking the orders of the customers who had misplaced their food during the situation.

I had only been there a few minutes by the time I found her. She had blonde hair and a pink fancy dress on. She had been the date of the Fullbody marine guy, who had at some point vanished. She was sniffling and grumbling to herself in a corner. I bent down and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"He left. He didn't even take me with him." She stated, I suspect towards me since I was the only other person there.

"Yeah I know." I comforted. She let out a loud sniffle and buried her head further into her arms. "He was a terrible man. Thought too much about his own pride instead of seeing what he had right in front of him was all he really needed." I told her, even if I didn't really know anything on the subject.

"Yeah, and what would that be?" She asked sarcastically, lifting her head up and looking at me. Her make-up was running down her cheeks to show that she had been crying. Her hair was messed up in the front, and she had snot coming out of her nose a tiny bit.

"You. No man could be how they are if it weren't for woman like us. We have strong hearts, and when someone decides to knock us over and test us, we gotta stand back up and show them that we aren't those frail little creatures that everyone thinks we are." She sniffled and thought about what I said for a moment. In an instant tears were streaming down her face and she threw her arms around my neck and began balling.

"I-I loved h-him so much th-though!" She wailed. I rubbed my hands along her back as she hiccuped and cried.

"There, there. You'll find someone else." I try to comfort through sobs. I had never been all that good at socializing with girls. I mean, when I first met Nami all we did was stare at each other. We didn't talk AT ALL the entire time I was with her until I found Luffy again. Nami is kinda helping me with this, even if she doesn't know it. What do I gotta say about myself? I was raised on a pirate ship filled with guys! Girls were a rare event. When they happened they spent most of their time flirting with my dad and with the rest of the crew... I stayed with some of the nicer of the women those nights.

Anyways! More sobs, a new shirt, a makeover, and a couple of ice cream sundaes later she was hanging out with a crew of single guys that had showed up... Yeah... Never getting that hour and a half back... After that dilemma I moved on to fixing, removing, the broken tables from the eating area and replacing them, and the chairs, with new ones. Cause you know what? There were no new customers and I decided to be nice and make room for any new customers.

Within a hour or so I began hearing the complains and crashing of Luffy's work. They must have hired him for something. It was their doom. At one point Luffy came down and began talking with Nami, Usopp and Zoro. I walked over and stood at their table. They were all snickering like idiots except for Zoro and I.

"What did you guys do?" I asked, hands on my hips. Nami grabbed my arm and pulled me to her. She cupped a hand around my ear.

"Luffy put a booger in Zoro's drink." She whispered.

"You guys are complete idiots." I mumbled.

"Oh! I saw the way you were looking at that chef guy. He hit on you didn't he?" I refrained from answering the question. "He did! Man, Takara. I didn't know you had it in you." She patted my back.

"That's because I don't" I laugh. I look over to see Luffy coughing and hacking on the floor. He was holding his throat and Zoro was standing above him. I began laughing harder at the sight of Luffy trying to choke.

"Takara!" Someone yelled upstairs. I groaned inwardly.

"Gotta go." I waved to everyone as I walked away and up the stairs. I came to a stop at the top and looked out at all the chefs.

"Hey Takara!"

"What's up Takara?"

"Everything okay?"

"Someone bothering you?" The chefs began asking me questions. They had really taken a liking to me.

"No, it's nothing." I replied.

"Zeff wants to meet you upstairs in his room." Patty ordered. I had learned the name of Patty, the man who had beaten up, Gin, the pirate henchman, and Zeff, the Boss.

"Thanks." I commented before stomping my way up to the room.

* * *

**Short, ish, I know.**

**Love all you guys.**

**Night!**

**Please review!**

**Thanks for reading.**


	18. Betrayal

**Hey guys!**

**Long time, no see!**

**I wish I hadn't taken so long to write to you guys, but I did and I'm sorry for it.**

**You all know, Christmas is coming up!**

**This will be my last chapter for awhile, I need to focus on writing stories as my gifts to my relatives this year.**

**There will be an update for Holiday Adventures, of course.**

**If you haven't already go check it out! Leave a review as well. Love those!**

**I'm also delayed cause I was just switched over to a new school! It's so much fun, and now I have anime geeky friends!**

**Okay, focus... Who am I kidding?! I've wasted too much of your time!**

**Please read! Leave a review!**

**Thanks a ton for coming this far! I love all you good readers and reviewers!**

**Enjoy...**

* * *

I entered Zeff's room, and wandered over to the giant hole in his wall. I skimmed my hand along the edge, my hand turning black from the charred wood. It was peaceful. The clouds floated by and the blue horizon met with a bluer ocean. I loved sailing, it brought peace to most people. Who was I to complain anyways? I had been born at sea.

"I'd like to offer you a role in my crew." The sudden voice made me jump out of my skin and let out a shriek. I turned to see Zeff standing behind me.

"Please don't do that." I sighed, placing a hand over my racing heart. He had already moved on. He was over on his bed sitting, waiting for me. I walked over in the silence and took a seat.

"You're Nadine's daughter, am I correct?" He asked, placing his hand on my leg comfortingly.

"And you're the great Red Shoes Zeff." I chuckled a bit. He joined in and laughed with me.

"I'm willing to offer you a job here. You'll become the new sous-chef. I tried the meal you made. You were kind to the customers. You also tend to stop the fights that the chefs get in. It would be amazing if you were to join us here on the Baratie." He told me calmly while patting my back.

"I can only work here as long as I'm able. My captain, Luffy, might be a goofball, but without him I wouldn't be working on this ship at all." I stated, standing up and taking a step away. "I'd probably be with my father." I muttered to myself. The thought wasn't all that amusing. I stepped over to the hole in the wall. "You see, I'm trying to find my mother. My father and I have suspected that she's been dead this whole time. He gave up his search, but I just want to see her once." I glanced over my shoulder at him. A big smile grew on his face.

"You're in luck. Right around seventeen years ago they announced the capture of Nadine. It was nearly a year before they told everyone that she had been sentenced to death. I opened my restaurant a few years after with Sanji... I overheard a couple of Marines one day. They spoke of a woman with sky blue eyes. A woman capable of negotiating any situation no matter the circumstances without any harm being done. They told about how she was the prisoner to a Marine captain in Loguetown and he was the only reason she was still alive. If my suspicions are correct, that woman is probably your moth-" I flew at Zeff, my arms wrapping around his neck tightly.

"Thank you so much!" I exclaimed happily.

"No problem." He whispered in my ear as he patted my back. I jumped up away from him and threw my hands up in fists.

"That's the first time I've even got good info on her." I shrieked happily. Zeff laughed quietly at my reaction.

"Is something going on here?" Sanji asked, peering into the room. His eyes were on Zeff, but I didn't notice the scowl as I leapt at him and grabbed the sides of his head. I pulled it down and kissed his forehead. As I pushed his head away I noticed slight surprise on his face.

"I need to go tell Luffy!" I pushed past Sanji and heard him thud to the ground as I rushed to go find my captain.

* * *

I was waiting patiently, or at least trying my best to. It had been four days since we had arrived. Four!

I spent most of my time taking orders, cooking minor ones, cleaning, that kind of thing. Today it was awfully slow due to a fog around the ship. I hadn't gotten any new customers in an hour. All the plates that weren't being used were clean and away. I had swept the room about four times. I had lounged around on the roof of the Baratie, but it was too foggy to see anything. Anything I could cook would go to waste...

There was nothing to do! At all! So I was wasting my time trying to clean the stoves that were already clean. I would occasionally move on to cleaning a window, the floor, or some of the tables downstairs. I wasn't getting paid, but I didn't want to just waste my time with something useless! Now I had somehow ended up in one of the rooms that the chefs slept in, cleaning it. I don't know which one, but I was bored so what should I have done?

I ducked down to look under the bed and found a box. I pulled it out and onto my lap. I flipped open the lid and found tons of pictures inside. That's when I actually acknowledged the things on the photos.

"EW!" I shrieked. I shoved the box off my lap, flipped the cover back on, and shoved it under the bed. I then rushed out of the room to a bathroom. I pulled the door open with my elbow and rushed in. I quickly and thoroughly washed my hands the best I could. Once I thought I was good I stopped washing.

"That was just nasty." I mentioned allowed. The pictures had naked woman and men on them. The top one had been a man... Let's just say that, for now, I am scarred for life. There was a thump on the floor above me. "What the..." I left the room and made my way to the stairs, that went straight up to the kitchen.

I walked through the kitchen... It was completely empty. I heard a chorus of noise below in the floor where we had the customers. Could we have more customers? I decided to not take the chance. I pulled my apron on tighter. I pulled my hair out of it's ponytail so it was nice, fluffy, and curly. I made my way to the top of the stairs. The stairs were crowded so I slid along the rail all the way to the bottom. Once I had landed I took out a small writing pad and a pencil. I pushed past all the chefs and stopping beside Sanji. Before me sat Don Krieg himself, eating a bowl of food. I took note on the amount and type of the food before bending down to his level. I ignored the chef behind me making an announcement about how evil this man was. I heard him stop and start shouting at me with the rest of the chefs.

"Oh shut up!" I yelled. "We have a customer here, and it seems you don't understand the proper ways of treating guests." I glared back at them "Now, take notes, cause you won't have another chance, and before you know it I'll be gone." I stated simply. I turned back to Krieg.

"Pardon that little incident just now." I apologized sweetly. "My name is Takara and I'll be your server today. I'll lead you to a proper table, but first let me offer you some of the deserts we have on the menu." I smiled. "Today's special is a three layer fudge cake with vanilla ici-" Before I could finish my sentence I was picked up off the ground by my neck. Sanji was thrown back by Krieg's other arm.

"No, pardon me." He mocked with a smile. I motioned to the chefs behind me to stop their attempt at coming towards me.

"I don't need a knight in shining armor." I growled to them.

"Then how do you expect to escape me?" Krieg questioned.

"Krieg... sir. I'm not one for violence. I'm better with words, but if the time comes I will use all my force to get what needs done, done." I stated. "Now, please let me go before I use force."

"You have about thirty-seconds to escape my grip before you lose all your air. Impress me." He snickered. Bad choice.

30 seconds.

I flipped my legs up, wrapping them around Krieg's arm. I pushed my legs away from me and his hand released from my neck. I quickly made my bones high density so that he lost his balance for a moment.

20 seconds.

As I had just given myself momentum I pulled his arm back behind him. I planted my legs on the ground and pulled his arm back so that his hand was now gripping the back of his own head. Since he was taller than me and I was on my tiptoes I made another plan.

10 seconds.

I kicked at both of his knees and he collapsed, completely incapacitated for the current moment. I leaned forward and placed my head next to his ear.

"Learn to respect your hosts and hostesses." I whispered. The customers at the other side of the ship began cheering.

1 second.

"Takara! You've been working too hard. Go take a break." I heard Zeff shout.

"Have a nice day everyone!" I stated as I stretched my hands up and apart above me. I began walking out as I stretched. I quickly pulled my little and ring fingers into my hand so I was holding up three fingers on each hand. A symbol Luffy and I used as kids. It was a secret hand symbol we used to tell each other we were gonna be home. Home was wherever at the time. The bar we hung out at, my father's ship, the Going Merry. It all depended on where we were.

"See ya soon Taka!" Luffy called. I lowered my arms and joined the fog outside. I suddenly realized seeing Gen. I popped my head back in to gaze at the crowd inside.

"Nice to see you again Gen. Come say 'Hi' before you go." I smiled before disappearing.

Once I had left the Baratie I had gone home, the Going Merry. I quietly sneaked onto the boat. I entered my room and groaned. Nami also shared the room with me. I pulled off my tight pants and shorts, grabbing a loose tank top and a pair of shorts that looked like junk. I pulled them on before digging in the trunk we shared. I pulled out my gloves and slipped them on. I stepped over to the bookshelf. I pulled out my mattress that was kept between it and the corner.

I rolled it out onto the floor. I stepped over to Nami's bed. I grabbed an extra pillow and blanket. I tossed the blanket over the mattress and dropped my pillow as well. From there I fell onto the makeshift bed. Within seconds I had fallen asleep.

* * *

**Nami's POV**

Thousands of thoughts raced through my mind as I examined the Arlong poster in my hand.

"Hey! What's the matter Big Sis?" Yosaku called out. He and Johnny were still on the ship? Yosaku walked up and stood next to me by the railing of the ship. "I don't mean to pry or anything, but what ya looking at?"

"Oh, well it's nothing really." I told them innocently. I had to get back to Arlong, but I couldn't have anyone on board when I left. I watched as Johnny leaned closer to the paper I was holding.

"Nice! Now that's a big bounty pirate. I gotta say I'm impressed." Johnny commented. I folded the paper to hide the writing on it. "But Big Sis I think you're aiming a little too high going after Arlong." Johnny raised up his hand and pointed a finger at me. "I'm not kidding. That guys really bad news. He was playing it cool and laying low for awhile, ya know, staying outta sight."

"These days that maniac is causing all sorts of trouble." I quietly walked away, coming up with a plan to get those two off the ship. I slipped into my room and grabbed an extra shirt, unaware of the mattress set up in the corner. I walked back up the stairs and by that time the two were done with their story. I walked over and placed the shirt on the railing.

"Big Sis Nami?" Yosaku asked, he and Johnny turned to me. I turned to face them. I pulled the top of my shirt out and put on a weak smile.

"Hey, do you guys mind turning around while I change into something more comfortable?" I asked politely. They would turn their backs and I would knock them over the rail.

"Yea, sure! I don't mind!" Yosaku smiled. He had a heavy blush on his cheeks.

"Changing? Like right now?" Johnny stammered. He had the same look as Yosaku.

"It's so hot..." I tried another approach.

"Yeah!" They both turned around together. "Your hot! I mean, it's hot!" They failed at agreeing with me. I pretended to change as I quietly walked over to them.

"Have you ever met a woman that's that daring?" I heard Johnny ask.

"No." Yosaku giggled.

"Well, Takara's better." I was thrown back for a moment by Johnny's comment. How on this planet was she better than me? I loved her, but I was interested in this sudden change.

"No way! Takara's too young. She's not as full!" Yosaku retorted.

"But, she is almost as full as Nami and she's two years younger! Imagine her when she's Nami's age." I felt my eyebrow twitch at Johnny's remark.

"You're right!" Yosaku finished, I felt the smile on his face. They were totally done for now! I wouldn't let anyone talk about Takara like that in front of me.

"Hey, what do you say we turn around and see if she's done yet?" Yosaku suggested after a moment.

"Good idea." As the two started to turn around I shoved forward. The two tipped over the railing and let out a scream as they fell down into the water. It saddened me to do so, but I didn't have any other choice. I turned away and plastered a fake smile on my face as the two resurfaced.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Johnny yelled at me. I turned to face them, leaning on the railing.

"I'm doing business of course." I smiled the best smile I could. "Use your heads guys. I'm a thief who only targets pirates and my next score is this ship." I watched the two gap at me. "I never said anything about being a member of this crew. I was just traveling with them. Now one thing more, even though I only spent a short time with Luffy and the gang I sure had a lot of fun. Make sure to tell them that I said, if it's truly meant to be I'll see them real soon." I waved to them before turning away. I walked to the main mast and put it down. The mast caught air and before long I was sailing away. I sure would miss Takara.

* * *

**Takara's POV**

I woke up to feel the ship moving. There was no yelling or screaming. No thumping of people running. Absolutely nothing except the crash of waves. Where was everyone? I jumped up and quietly walked over to the door. I peered through the door to see a dark figure leaning against the railing of the back of the ship. I made blades come out of the tips of my fingers. Whoever that was, he had just messed with the wrong ship. One should know better than to take a ship from a pirate.

I pushed open the door and stepped out. I quietly sneaked up the stairs. In an instant I was behind the man, my blades on either side of the man's head... It wasn't a man. She turned towards me. Her eyes filled with sorrow, but she had a smile across her face.

"N-Nami?" I stuttered, stumbling backwards. I tripped and fell to the ground.

"You've gotten in the way of my plans. Now you have to pay the consequences." She smiled.

"B-But you're part of the crew. You can't do this to us!" I screamed at her.

"Wrong. I was never part of the crew. I was just in it for the money. Everything I've told you is a lie. My only captain is Arlong." She swung a brown pole at me. She had just lied again. I couldn't think long on that as I rolled out of the way. I jumped back to my feet to face her. There was a small hole where I had been laying. This sparked a slight anger in me.

"You were with us when we met Kaya... You were there when Kaya gave us this... you're the one who got told about all the mechanics of it. As a member of the crew that sails with this ship I cannot allow you to harm it, especially since you are honored to be one of it's members as well." I growled.

"I'M NOT A MEMBER!" She screamed another lie, raising her pole at me.

"Then, tell me about yourself if everything so far has been a lie." I asked sarcastically. She folded up her pole and slid it down her shirt.

"You'll find out in due time. Until then you'll have to be my prisoner." She stated, taking a step towards me.

"Uh... How about no?" I offered.

"Come quietly or I will use force." She ordered, trying to size me up.

"I can't believe my own siste-"

"Stop calling me that!" She screamed again, turning her face away from me.

"But that's what you are to me." I stepped over and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Well you better find someone else." She mentioned, walking away from me.

"I've never had anyone I could call that before. I can't just find someone else! It has to be you." I turned my back to her. "I've never made friends easy s-" There was suddenly a sharp pain on the back of my neck and my world went dark as I collapsed to the floor.

* * *

**Nami's POV**

"If only it were possible. After you hear my past you'll most likely hate me..." I muttered as I looked down at Takara's unconscious body. I left her there for awhile. I entered our room and grabbed a green tank top. I pulled off my shirt and pulled the green one on.

"I'll need to pack up all the money on board." I began going through the list of things I needed to do. I walked back out of our room. "Make sure to get the ship anchored away from the village..." I stopped and peered at Takara. I gave a loud sigh before going over to her. I grabbed a rope that was set off to the side.

I tied her ankles together, and cut the rope. I tied her wrists and her arms to her back so she wouldn't be able to get out by using her gloves, which were pinned between her shoulder blades. She wouldn't be able to reach the rope. From there I tied her hands to another rope that I used to drag her to the main deck. Arlong park was now in sight in the far distance. I'd turn Takara over to Arlong, and from there she would be able to free herself. I know she can, she did it before with Buggy. That or she'll talk her way out. Either way I know she'll be safe for now, she'll be fine without my help... hopefully.

* * *

**This took me two days to write!**

**The website I use spazzed and died on me for all of yesterday.**

**Thank ya for reading.**

**Review for me please!**

**I won't be able to write on this for awhile. Christmas, guests, and gifts OH MY!**

**Kay, that's it.**

**Love you guys!**

**Thanks for reading.**


	19. Meeting Arlong

**Hey guys!**

**Long time no see!**

**I will try and post more regularly if I can.**

**If not, sorry.**

**Yay! A new chapter though!**

**Well, that's all for now.**

**Enjoy...**

* * *

I felt someone standing over me, but couldn't remember how I had fallen asleep. I remembered Nami... had she betrayed us? No, it couldn't have been that. She would never... I'm her sister. My thoughts went silent as I heard her voice.

"I also brought a stowaway. She found a way aboard my ship. She was a bit of trouble, but nothing I couldn't deal with." Nami's voice erupted past the mass of cheers around me.

"A stowaway? Know anything important about her?" A man snickered, he had a relatively deep voice.

"She's a waitress and great with words, so try not to talk to her much. Comes from a powerful family that doesn't matter to her. She'll do anything you ask if you get on her good side." Nami explained. "She also has great trust in me, but it'll only be her downfall." I heard the lie in her voice, but she laughed afterwards hiding any trace of it. It was that moment when it all finally clicked and I lost reason for a moment. My eyes snapped open and I launched myself towards the orange haired girl. I was inches away when something grabbed my hair and pulled me back, and away from anything that may have given me an advantage. I let out a low growl, anger boiling inside me.

"You selfish woman. It was all for the money wasn't it. You should know better than that Nami. You've seen how I get... I never was able to handle betrayal well." I snickered. I was dangling off the ground, someone holding me up by my hair. I also had my ankles and wrists tied together. My arms were bent up and pinned to my back. I still managed to look up at Nami as she turned to me. I gave an evil smirk.

"Would you look at those eyes!?" My gaze was suddenly drawn to the man behind Nami. He sat in a chair, and I recognized him as a man my father called Arlong, a fishman. I quickly noticed that all the men around me were fishmen. "Say, you also seem to have a past with Nami. How about I offer you a place in my crew?" Arlong chuckled.

"Sorry, but I must decline. I am a full time waitress after all." I smiled, following along with Nami's lie. They didn't have to know I was a pirate, yet.

"Then why not just leave that crew and join mine?" He questioned.

"Cause." I stated.

"In that case you're joining my crew." He smiled proudly.

"That was not a yes." I glared at him.

"Why not?" He stood up and stepped over to me. "You can be my negotiator and help me with any tasks I may need. I'll provide you with protection from anyone and anything." Arlong smiled, sliding a hand along my jaw.

"I'm not a very violent person, but I can protect myself. I'm not some damsel in distress. In any case why would I want to be your negotiator when you're an evil man. Now if you will not heed my advice and let me go then I'll be forced to bite off your finger. Am I clear?" I asked, plastering a bright smile on my face.

"I don't think you understand what I'm putting out on the table." He stated, putting a stern look on his face.

"I don't think you understand the opportunity you have right now!" I retorted.

"You are joining my crew!" He ordered.

"No, I'm not." I growled.

"Yes, you are." He fought back, his nose poking the tip of mine.

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"YES!" We had a moment of silence, glaring into each other's eyes. We waited for the moment that the other would falter. Then he looked like he caved. "Fine! If you're not gonna join so easily, than I guess I have no choice. A week in the cell. No food, little water. End of the week make sure she's alive, keep it that way, then repeat the process till she joins." Arlong ordered. He turned and walked to his seat. I had to do something now if I wanted to be free. I quickly gathered momentum. I sharpened my teeth into points and swung my body around the man's neck. I bit down on his throat and wrapped my body around his thick neck, hooking my legs on his shoulder to stay in the position. The man still had a grip on my hair.

"Let me go or your crew member dies." I ordered.

"Takara, you don't know what you're doing." Nami commented.

"Look at the little waitress trying to protect herself." Arlong laughed. "I planned ahead. I knew that you were hiding something so the fishman you are holding hostage is prepared to give up his life. Are you willing to kill him? I'd rather you not, but he's prepared himself for the worst." Damn! He could see through my threat.

"My friends will come, and when they do you'll be to blame and I won't be held accountable when they kill your whole crew." I growled. I quickly swung my legs around the guy, letting go of his neck. I swung back with a new found momentum. I threw my legs up, hooked my ankles on the arm that was holding my hair and pushed. I held back a pained noise as some of my hair was pulled out. I sent a small blade out of my ankles and heels, the ropes on my feet getting cut off. I slid to a stop on a concrete path, unable to free my arms as of yet. I quickly took off towards what looked like a gate. It was closed, probably locked.

"CATCH HER!" Arlong shouted. As fishmen ran after me I managed to dodge and maneuver around them. Some managed to leave cuts on me. Suddenly something hit my knee, hard. I let out a groan as I sent two blades out of my toes. Using my speed, and the blades, I climbed up the gate and hopped over it. As soon as I was on the ground I was off running again. The pajamas that I had been wearing were far beyond rescue at this point. My legs were cut and covered in blood, as well as parts of my stomach and chest where a blade had reached. I ignored the pain in my knee and the bottoms of my feet as they pounded on the ground. I had no shoes on, but I kept my speed. Arlong was after me and I was not sticking around to see what he might do.

I glanced over my shoulder. The gate was open, but Nami was standing there with a swarm of fishmen behind her. I looked forward and continued as fast as I could. I would reach a village, hopefully they would be able to help me.

* * *

I had entered town, and everything looked destroyed. I had spent no more then a minute in town when I heard a scream. I ran down the street faster and took a sharp turn, running down some kind of alley. I squeezed through a small space and burst into a street. I looked to my left and saw a blue lock of hair disappear behind a corner. I took off towards it, screeching to a halt by the alley. Before me was a woman a few years older than Nami with blue hair. A little boy in a green hat was with her. Between them sat a knocked out Usopp.

"Who are you people and what did you do to Usopp?" I questioned, trying to keep a stern look even though I was losing blood. The woman turned to me and looked me over.

"Lemme guess, you tried to face Arlong and escaped with your life." She glared, standing up. I was nearly her height, a foot difference at most.

"Not even close. Besides, you wouldn't want to hear my story. Just give me my friend and I'll be out of your hair." Everything was blurring slightly.

"Sorry, but I'm taking you with me. We'll fix you up and you can leave with your friend here." She ordered. I turned around and showed her my arms. She reached up and quickly untied them. They all came loose and fell to the ground. I spun around quickly and gave her a nod.

"Fine. Name's Takara by the way." I pushed past her, grabbed Usopp, hoisted him onto my back, and took off running. Carrying Usopp was too much for me, but I was pushing through it, trying to make my adrenaline last as long as I could. In a moment she and the boy were running alongside me.

"I'm Nojiko." The woman stated.

"Where are we going Nojiko?" I asked.

"Follow me." She ordered. She took off ahead of me and I grunted in pain as I pushed myself to go after her.

We took off through the town. I followed her straight out of town and into the middle of a forest. We followed a path and within twenty minutes we were at a clearing. Before us was a house, a simple one room house, but behind it was rows upon rows of tangerine trees. I walked after Nojiko having finally lost all my energy to run. She opened the door and quickly went in with the little boy. The two had gotten to work, grabbing medical supplies and what looked like bed sheets. I dropped Usopp to the floor, and walked over to the counter.

"Thanks for helping bring him here. It would have taken so much longer if it were just m-" Everything became a blur as I stumbled and collapsed, falling to the floor. The world disappeared into black as my head hit the floor.

* * *

_"As long as you promise to be my friend."_

_"Sure, why not. Through thick and thin, nothing will keep us apart."_

_"You've gotten in the way of my plans. Now you have to pay the consequences..."_

_"I was never part of your crew. I was just in it for the money..."_

_"Everything I've told you is a lie..."_

_"My only captain is Arlong..."_

_"She also has great trust in me, but it'll only be her downfall..."_

"NAMI!" I shouted as I quickly jolted up from the floor.

"I figured you would know her too." I turned and looked up at Nojiko.

"What do you mean?" I questioned. I noticed Usopp over at a table in shock.

"Nami's technically my adoptive sister since we were both orphans." Nojiko knew Nami! "But a sister's a sister, ya know what I mean." I hung my head as Nojiko picked up a picture frame from a side table. I had thought I knew what having a sister meant. I'm not so sure anymore. I jumped up and stormed out the front door with out a word. I walked around the house and plopped down just outside the door. I had started to zone out of the conversation till Usopp mentioned Nami.

"So you're telling me that Nami betrayed her mother, her sister, and her whole village just to be a part of Arlong's crew?" He questioned.

"Yeah, pretty much. A real witch, huh?" Nojiko replied.

"Damn. Nami is a total witch. She had us completely fooled the entire time. To think she was just after the treasure for herself. Even after she risked her life to save my village. I don't understand. She seemed so happy with us..." I couldn't handle anymore of the commentary. I walked off down the path, diverting onto another just before the village. I was covered in bandages and had been put in a fresh green tank top and blue shorts with an orange tangerine in the lower left corner. This wasn't Nami. Something must have happened to make her do this. She was my sister, she had promised. She would always be there for me.

I'd wait for Luffy to arrive. Zoro should hopefully be with him. Then we'd find Nami and find out why she did all this. If we can, we'll bring her home.

I wandered off into the middle of nowhere. I found myself in a farm area, rice patty fields everywhere. I found a nice place on the road, just off to the side. I leaned against the cliff side and stared out at the ocean just off in the distance. It seemed so close. I stared up at the sky in awe. It reached all over the place, saw everything, touched life everywhere. I wanted to ask it so much. Where was Luffy? Why was Nami part of Arlong's Crew? Did Nami mean what she had said? What happened to my Nami? Would we ever get her back?

* * *

**Kay guys!**

**Last of my free write for awhile.**

**Luffy arrives in the next chapter!**

**I know this chapter was short, sorry. I was having trouble with inspiration and couldn't find out what to add!**

**The struggle is real. This may not be part of it, but I suffer from it a lot.**

**That's all for this chapter.**

**Hope you enjoyed this turn of events!**

**I plan to post another chapter Friday, so be back soon.**

**Love all you guys who read this! Also love you reviewers too.**

**Reviewer for me! Please! I want to feel your love!**

**Thanks for reading.**


	20. Luffy's Arrival

**Hey guys!**

**Been a week!**

**Sorry I have classes after school so I don't get home till like six!**

**I am here and I have a chapter.**

**I promise this one will be longer.**

**So, back to the topic!**

**Enjoy...**

* * *

Nami had just betrayed me and all I could do is sit here and mope! Nami was my sister and she didn't even hesitate to put me up at Arlong's control. How could it be that easy to betray the ones you love? I jumped to my feet and paced out to the edge of the road before turning around and walking back to the cliff side.

"I didn't know anything about her childhood, but hell! It couldn't have been worse than mine... living with a bunch of men..." I snickered. "She was my sister!" Out of anger I turned and punched the cliff side, my bones turning to high density at one point or another. The area around my fist cratered and cracked for several feet up and away from me. I turned and stepped away, my fist dangling by my side.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed, clutching my fist to my chest as I bent down, balancing on the balls of my feet.

"Well that was stupid, now wasn't it?" I looked up and my eyes met with Nojiko's. I quickly stood up so I didn't have to look up at her as much.

"It may have been, but I can handle most things." I stated before walking back down the road to Nami's house.

"It seems you can't handle the fact that Nami betrayed you." I came to a quick stop as Nojiko caught up with me.

"How would you know anything about that?" I asked, staring down at the ground.

"I was walking by when you started your little fit." she laughed. "Because of that, I would like to just state that Nami and I did have a very troubling past." I started walking again, away from the crater. "We had to watch our own mother die at Arlong's hand." I hadn't meant to do what I did next, but I spun around and glared up at Nojiko.

"I am sorry for your loss. I truly am, but do you know what it's like to live without a motherly figure at all?" I questioned, poking her chest. "I had my dad and all the men on his crew! We stopped occasionally and I stayed with the nice woman that worked at the brothel in town or something. We would leave the next day, and I only ever saw days like that once every few months!" I stated. "You two had a village full of men AND women who most likely took care of you after your mother died... oh how I wish that I could have at least met my mother once." I stated as I spun around and stomped away. Nojiko quickly grabbed my wrist and pulled me back.

"As much as I feel bad for what has happened to you, you're only acting like this because Nami hurt you. She was probably the closest thing you ever got to a sisterly role in your life, right? Well that means you deserve to know why Nami has done all this." I turned and looked up into the caring eyes that were looking at me. She sighed and let go of my wrist. We stood there in silence for a moment. "Nami is buying Cocoyashi back from Arlong for 100 million beli." That's why she had stolen from us!

"Th-."Before I could say a word she was running off in the direction of Nami's house. I turned and started walking the other direction. It made me happy that she was at least willing to tell me this.

I stopped walking and looked around for a moment. No one was around, but I heard a distinct crashing sound in the distance. I could have sworn I heard my name being called... I started walking again, but came to a quick stop as I heard it again. Someone was definitely calling my name! I placed my hands on my hips and looked around once more, before facing the cliff side.

"Whoever you are, I can hear you so just come out!" I shouted, hoping that the person was up on the cliff and I wasn't hearing things. I was still angry at Nami so I was not in the mood for some trickster that somehow knew my name! I stood there for a moment before the crashing sound broke into the area around me. I spun around to see a boat of all things coming at me! How the hell had it gotten this far inland in the first place?! Before I could do anything an arm launched out and grabbed me. I was thrown into the air and out of the way as the boat crashed into the cliff behind where I had been. I made my bones a light density as I floated down to the ground. The dust was quickly blown away, revealing tons of debris along with a head of blonde hair, someone's butt, and a straw hat...

"TAKARA!" Luffy shouted up to me.

"Luffy..." I let out a groan. He had finally gotten here! I watched as he shot an arm up, wrapped it around my waist and yanked me down. Once I was on the ground I returned my bones to a normal density right as Luffy pulled me into a hug.

"I THOUGHT NAMI HAD KIDNAPPED YOU!" he yelled. I quickly shoved him off and looked into his eyes.

"Like I would ever let that happen." I snickered. I chose not to tell them what Nojiko had told me.

"What happened to you?" I suddenly had a blonde man on my arm as he examined the bandages.

"Sanji? Lemme guess, you accepted Rubber Head's request?" I asked as I pulled my arm away.

"I am the new chef apparently." he laughed.

"Takara, did Nami do this to you?" Luffy asked, grabbing my hand and examining the blood dripping from my fingers from when I had broken the cliff. It was then that I noticed I still had my gloves on! I took my hand and hid it behind my back.

"I actually did that one. All the bandages are from Arlong's crew." I stated as I scratched the back of my head. Sanji stepped back around me and took a seat on a box.

"What were you doing!?" I turned to see Zoro's top half sticking out of the debris.

"What do you mean? We're here to pick up Nami and Takara. Duh!" Luffy stated as he brushed off dust from his clothes.

"...Easier said than done..." I muttered to myself as I thought of what Nami had done in the last couple days.

"Oh yeah, and what about Usopp and Johnny?" Luffy continued.

"Usopp. Oh, no! Come on, we gotta hurry!" Zoro stated as he jumped out of the debris, getting ready to run.

"Why, what's wrong?" Luffy questioned.

"I thought Usopp was at Nami's house..." I commented.

"That dumb ass has been caught by Arlong. We gotta hurry before they kill him!" Zoro stated as he prepared to run again.

"He's already dead." We all turned to see Johnny sitting in the destroyed path of the boat. "We're too late." Johnny collapsed to his knees as his voice became shaky. "Big Bro Usopp is dead..." his voice cracked. He punched the ground as he let out a sad whimper. "NAMI... MURDERED HIM!" he stated as he looked up at us. Tears ran down his face. I was thrown aback by this. Nami murdered Usopp...

"I refuse to believe that!" I retorted. "Nami may have betrayed us all, but she wouldn't go so far as to killing Usopp!" I shouted. Luffy reached forward and grabbed my wrist. I had unknowingly started leaning forward to launch myself at Johnny. Luffy quickly pulled me back into a proper position. We all went quiet for a moment as we stepped out of the debris and helped Yosaku out of the debris since he had ended up upside down. We went out and stood on the left side, if you looked at the cliff, of the destroyed path.

"You can't be serious?" Yosaku questioned Johnny. I had placed myself at the edge of the road and the destroyed path. Sanji and Zoro stood off to my left. Luffy was directly in front of me, and Johnny and Yosaku were in front of him.

"Yeah, it's true." Johnny took a seat with his legs crossed under him. I let out a scoff before turning my attention to an ant crossing in front of my toes. "She was a traitor all along. She's been winning Arlong's favour so she could have the treasure buried in Cocoyashi village all to herself." Johnny leaned forward and slapped a hand on the ground while making a fist with his left hand. "That woman is just a cold blooded killer. She won't stop 'till she gets what she wants. Nami had us fooled the entire time!" I nearly jumped at Johnny, but was beaten to the punch as Luffy lifted him off the ground by the collar, his hat falling off.

"QUIET!" Luffy yelled, picking Johnny up to eye level. "Say another word and you'll regret it." he growled. I leaned forward, over the ant, and grabbed Luffy's hat as I jumped to my feet.

"Easy, Luffy." Zoro warned, stepping towards Luffy and Johnny. "This has nothing to do with Johnny."

"Yes, it does. He was talking bad about Nami." I scoffed, pointing my free hand at Johnny. Zoro sent me a glare and I quickly sent one back.

"Go on, believe whatever you want, but I know what I saw!" Johnny yelled at Luffy. "Nami killed Big Bro Usopp!" Luffy began shaking Johnny.

"Shut your mouth! Never in a million years would Nami kill Usopp. She wouldn't do that to her friends." he stated.

"But-but I saw it!" Johnny cried.

"What was that about friends, Luffy?" I froze for a moment before spinning around to see Nami, standing there on the other side of the destroyed path.

"Nami..." I muttered. She looked different. She had Arlong's mark visible on her shoulder. She wore a tank top, compared to her usual attire of a shirt that would have covered her tattoo. She had a glove over her left hand, causing me to wonder how she got it between the last time I saw her and now. To finish it all off, she had her staff in hand and her eyes were dark.

"Nami!?" Luffy turned to Nami, dropping Johnny.

"What are you doing here?" Nami asked. She began to move her staff up and down.

"What are we doing here? You're our friend." Luffy replied simply. I held out his hat behind me and he quickly took it, putting it back on his head. "Came to get you."

"What a pest." Nami stated.

"Nami?" Luffy sounded confused, and it hurt me to see Nami like this. She seemed so cold compared to how happy she had been on the Going Merry with us.

"Friends huh? Don't make me laugh. You're just pathetic enough to deserve each other." I took a step back, getting hit by an invisible punch. Pathetic. My left knee buckled and I remembered getting hit by something. The pain from my muscles and fist had masked over the pain in my knee. I just hadn't noticed the limp I must have had. Nami's eyes bore into me, wracking at my emotions and feelings. She seemed to be daring me to throw myself at her. I knew she was lying, but I couldn't bring myself to believe that because of how she was treating us. She knew I was blinded and wouldn't be able to get an attack on her in this state. I let out a low growling breathe as I stayed in that position.

"Damn you. You killed him, I watched you do it! Now... BIG BRO USOPP IS GONE!" Johnny shouted jumping up and running past Luffy and I.

"Yup, that's right." Nami smiled. No, no, no. This couldn't be. Usopp couldn't be dead! H-He was weak, b-but he wouldn't get killed so easily. I lowered my head and shook it, trying to get rid of the tears that unreasonably appeared and tried escaping my eyes. I glared back at Nami. "So, why don't you kill me and get your revenge." She had said it so easily.

"Uhhh... What?" Johnny questioned.

"Word to the wise fellas. Because of your friend's stupidity, Arlong is preparing to kill Zoro along with his entire crew, and I don't care how monstrously strong you guys think you are. You are no match for the real monster. I promise you, you stay on this island... you will die." she stated abruptly. "So, you have a choice to make. Between life and death." I waited, tuning out Sanji as he swooned over Nami. Our eyes met and I saw sadness in them. The sadness quickly disappeared showing off a cold deep abyss.

"Nami, where is Usopp?" Zoro pressured.

"With the fishes." She answered. I slowly climbed back up to my feet.

"Dammit! Cut the crap." Zoro ordered as he rushed forward, a hand on his swords. He was blocked by Sanji as the two started a fight. I kept my eyes on Nami's. Suddenly, she glanced down to see I wasn't putting weight on my left knee. She let out a quiet laugh as our eyes met again.

"How's your knee?" She snickered as she stopped moving her staff. That's when it clicked. She had hit my knee with her staff as I escaped! She had nearly gotten me captured and left in a prison cell.

"YOU TRAITOR!" I launched myself forwards. Before I got anywhere I was grabbed by the waist and yanked back. I was entangled in a mass of arms around my waist and shoulders, another hand over my mouth. I struggled and tried to escape.

"We do not hurt our friends, Takara." A voice whispered in my ear. I growled and turned my head, glaring into Luffy's eyes. He stared until he tightened his grip, covered my nose, and I began losing air. I stopped struggling and let my body hang as he moved his grip to just around my waist and shoulders, a hand no longer over my mouth.

"Can you let me go now?" I asked quietly.

"I don't know if you'll hurt Nami or not so no, not yet." I let out a deep breath as I looked back to Nami.

"Your pal's right. Now quit your bickering and leave while you still can. You outsiders have no right to butt into this island's affairs." Nami stated, having listened to Zoro and Sanji. "Don't you get it yet? The only reason I got close to you idiots was so I could rob you of everything you had. But now that you're broke, it looks like the dream's dead. So go, take your ship... go on, find a navigator dumb enough to join you and go to the Grand Line. Continue on your quest to find the One Piece or whatever." Nami struck her staff down, and aimed it at us. I felt my body tense and Luffy's grip tighten. Friends don't hurt friends, especially once you call them family. "Just leave here, you're an eye sore!" I clenched my jaw as her words hit me. With the way she was acting she didn't deserve Nojiko as a sister! "Good-bye now." She finished.

"Nami." I was suddenly lifted up and placed over Luffy's head. He fell back with a loud thud, managing not to hurt me as he placed me under his head like a pillow. His head was on my stomach and his arms were wrapped under my back to the other side of my body.

"What the hell!?" I shouted, trying to shove him off. He quickly retaliated by pulling up with his arms and shoving down with his head. I stopped flailing and he soon stopped as well. I grumbled as I stared up at the sky.

"Big Bro Luffy!" Johnny exclaimed.

"Sleepy." Luffy replied. This was actually a really uncomfortable position.

"Sleep? At a time like this? In the middle of the road?" Yosaku questioned.

"Well, I'm pretty tired... I'm not gonna butt into their affairs. I'm not interested... but I'm not leaving either." Luffy replied simply.

"Can I go butt into their affairs?!" I asked. He quickly shoved down. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, OW!" I screamed. "Fine." I groaned as Luffy lifted his head back up.

"Night." Luffy announced as he closed his eyes. Dammit! I had no chance of freedom now... well, unless Luffy decides to roll over or something.

"Uhh... Big Bro?" Johnny asked.

"Don't bother, he's out." I stated as Luffy let out a snore.

"Looks like you're stuck then." Zoro stated as he groaned and massaged his temples.

"Whatever! Just go ahead and die!" Nami shouted before turning and running off.

"I need to go after her! Zoro, or anyone, just help me." They all gave me looks before I let out a huge sigh. "Fine, I'm getting some sleep." I groaned as I closed my eyes and attempted to get comfortable.

* * *

"USOPP!" I quickly sat up and turned to see Zoro and Sanji standing over Luffy who was holding... Usopp. "Did Nami do all this to you?" Luffy asked as he shook Usopp.

"Sorry, Zoro and I did that." Sanji chuckled.

"No, you did." Zoro retorted.

"What did I miss?" I asked as I jumped to my feet and stepped over to Zoro and Sanji.

"Usopp showed up." Zoro whispered to me.

"Luffy." Usopp breathed, he sounded like he was dying... "You're here now."

"Yep, sure am." Luffy smiled.

"I'm here too. Hi there!" Sanji waved. Usopp immediately jumped up and glared at Sanji.

"One of these days, I'll kill you." he growled.

"Oh, look who just made a huge recovery." Sanji continued to smile hugely. I had to hold back a laugh as Usopp seemed to explode in his face.

"SHUT UP!" he screamed.

"Oh, and by the way. We kinda heard you were dead. Killed by Nami." Zoro mentioned. Usopp calmed himself and quickly turned.

"Huh?" He asked, clueless.

"Johnny said you died." I commented.

"Stupid Johnny. He was spouting nonsense that entire time." Luffy announced.

"Well... in a way... it is the truth." Usopp looked down to the ground as he told us this.

"What does that mean?" I questioned.

"But, I'm alive. Cause you see she actually saved my life." This meant... Nami hadn't killed Usopp! Usopp told us about how Nami had stabbed her own hand in an attempt to get Usopp away from Arlong. That explained the glove. What's the real reason she had done all this though? "So that's it. That's how Nami pretended to kill me, and make sure I could escape from Arlong park. Looks to me like she's got some sort of hidden motive for hanging out with a bunch of renegade fish men." Usopp finished.

"Obviously." Sanji sighed.

"Fine. What next? We gonna destroy Arlong park?" Zoro asked.

"Whoa! Hang on just a second! Don't you think we better find out what's going on with Nami first?!" Usopp blurted out.

"It's no use either way. No matter what you guys do Arlong's rule won't come to an end."

"Nojiko." Usopp and I stated as we looked up at the blue haired woman standing up the road.

"Who's she?" Luffy asked, pointing at said woman.

"Nami's big sister." Usopp replied.

"What!? Nami's sister?! No wonder she's so hot!" Sanji swooned. I could practically see the hearts in his eyes.

"Nice to see you again." I replied simply.

"What do you mean it's no use?" Zoro questioned.

"Just trust me. Don't get yourselves involved in what's going on here and leave poor Nami alone." Nojiko told us. "I'll explain the situation."

"Situation?" Sanji asked, the hearts gone.

"Do you mean that you can tell us why she joined up with Arlong's group?" Usopp pressured.

"Yeah, and if that doesn't get you to leave than I don't know what will." Nojiko began.

"Kay, so tell us all about it. I gotta admit, I'm curious." Usopp commented.

"I'll pass." Luffy stated as he walked out down the road.

"Hey wait!" Usopp called.

"I don't care about her past." Luffy replied.

"Where are you going, Luffy?" Sanji asked.

"For a walk." he answered.

"A walk! You mean, you're not going to listen to this?!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Nope. Come on, Takara." he ordered. I started to run after Luffy. I quickly caught up and slowed to a walk.

"Where are we going?" Luffy asked after we had walked out of sight of everyone else. I reached up and smacked him upside the head.

"Why didn't we just stay with them you Rubber Headed Idiot?" I growled.

"Because pasts are boring, and you obviously already know so you're gonna tell me the summary of it." he smiled as he held the back of his head.

"Dumb ass." I grumbled. "You need to listen sometimes."

"But that's why you're my First Mate. So I don't have to."

"Just shut up."

* * *

**Sorry for being so late!**

**I'm sorry.**

**I have a beta now!**

**I wish her luck with my new chapter.**

**That's all for updates at the moment.**

**Review for me! It encourages me to write the next chapter faster. I will probably have more free time this weekend, my Grandma's coming! She actually supports my writing more than anyone.**

**Review please!**

**That's all, have a nice day or night. Whatever timezone you're in when you read this.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	21. Little Talks

**Long time no see.**

**Sorry it has taken me so long.**

**I hope to update more now!**

**If you all want me to continue and update faster I'm gonna need more reviews because otherwise it might be awhile.**

**Sorry, that was a bit rude.**

**In short: I was stressed about school, a friend of mine broke a really important promise, and I kinda lost all my inspiration for this story for awhile.**

**I want to try and continue it more, but I need the motivation so please review for me!**

**That sounded better.**

**Thank you for sticking with it, and enjoy.**

* * *

"So she has to pay a 100 million beli ransom so that she can buy the town back from Arlong?" Luffy repeated what I told him.

"Yup." We had been walking for quite awhile, and I'm pretty sure we were gonna walk by the destruction path of the boat any moment now. I looked to Luffy and noticed a huge grin spread across his face.

"What's that grin for?" I questioned, nudging his arm.

"Oh nothing." Luffy chuckled.

"That is so childish of you." I smirked, poking him hard in the arm. He reached up and rubbed at the spot I poked as he turned and gave me a pouty face.

"That's not all true. I can be mature." he pouted.

"Yeah right!" I scoffed. I moved to hit his side with mine, but tripped. I stumbled and landed on Luffy's back as he passed me. We both crashed to the ground and began laughing as I rolled off him and thought of what we just argued about. After a moment he jumped back to his feet. He then held out a hand. I took it and he immediately hoisted me up. Then I heard it. It was faint, but I could hear someone talking in the distance. From what they were saying it must have been a small group of fishmen.

"What's wrong?" Luffy asked, waving a hand in front of my face.

"I need your shirt." I ordered, turning directly toward him and reaching out a hand.

"You need my shirt!" He grabbed his shirt tightly as he jumped away from me.

"Yeah, and my dad's hat." I continued. I gave him a very commanding look and we kept eye contact until he sighed and took off his hat. I watched as he took his shirt off and handed it over to me. I grabbed it and quickly spun. With my back to Luffy I quickly pulled off my shirt and pulled Luffy's on. With his shirt buttoned up I pulled my hair up and folded it onto my head as I placed the straw hat on. I turned back to Luffy.

"You better have a good reason for taking my clothes." he scoffed as he turned on his heel and started walking again. I quickly ran after him and stuffed my shirt into his back pocket. He grumbled angrily as we walked together in silence.

Within moments it came into sight. Dead ahead of us was the destroyed path of the boat. Across the rice fields was the boat debris and a group of three men investigating it.

"I've already been seen by the fishmen so an encounter like this could mean trouble for me. Is that a good enough reason to take your clothes?" I pointed out, adjusting the hat to hide my eyes. Luffy didn't respond. A couple more steps and suddenly I saw the figures in front of us, and they were indeed fishmen.

"Oh wow. They must be fishmen." Luffy commented in awe as we continued walking. I slowed my pace and moved behind him so we wouldn't take up too much of the road.

We quietly continued walking, straight on past the fishmen. Each of the three stood at least a good three feet or more taller than us. We were almost in escaping distance when one of them yelled at us.

"Hey, you two! Wait!" His voice was slightly menacing. Luffy stopped, and I walked to the right side of him before stopping.

"Huh, you mean us?" Luffy asked, turning around.

"Who are you, and what are you doing on this island!?" the fishman ordered us. I glanced over my shoulder. They had all turned to us, and one that resembled an octopus was yelling at us.

"Why does it matter to you?" Luffy gave a snarky reply as I kept silent.

"Well it's just that we don't get many visitors." The octopus man replied.

"Oh, well my name's Luffy, and this is Taka. We're just passing through." he answered. I looked back forward and waited to leave. Frankly, they were kinda intimidating.

"Passing through?" The octopus seemed thrown off. Luffy turned and grabbed my wrist. We slowly began walking away as the octopus continued. "Have a nice time!" We had gotten a good distance away, and I suspected we'd be home free!

"Hey smart ass, where are you going?" I spoke too soon, but Luffy continued walking.

"Heck if I know." Luffy replied.

"Nice to meet you!" I hollered back as we continued walking.

"So are they part of Arlong's crew?' Luffy asked, now that we were out of earshot.

"I don't know for certain, but my best guess is yes. I didn't want to risk getting caught by them." I mumbled the last sentence.

"Well, as soon as we know they can't see us, gimme my clothes back." he ordered quietly.

"Yes sir, captain sir." I teased.

* * *

We walked for another hour or so and I had given him his clothes back and I was back in my grungy shirt and trashy shorts. We soon found ourselves walking into a town. People scattered the road and the spaces around it, but they had all stopped and were staring in the direction of something in the distance.

Walking along the road heading toward us was a ship's worth of Marines and a man who resembled that of a sheriff, but he had a pinwheel on top of his hat. Luffy stopped and I watched as his jaw dropped and he began to sweat. He couldn't have been nervous over the Marines could he? It was like he was choking on his own throat by the sound he was making, but he just seemed completely frozen.

"Luffy?" I asked, stepping in front of him and looking him square in the eyes.

"So why do the Marines want Nami?" I heard the sheriff ask as he and the Marines all walked past us. The man who looked to be leading all the Marines resembled a mouse or rat. The Rat Marine Man chuckled slightly, but it sounded weird almost like a 'chi chi chi chi' type noise.

"Your job is to lead the way, quietly." he ordered the sheriff as he passed. Luffy had broken out of his fix and watched as the men all walked away from us.

"A hat pinwheel, where in the world did he get that?" I took a moment to stop and slap my palm to my forehead. "IT'S SO COOL!" I looked up and watched the sheriff man leave.

"It is kinda cool." Instantly Luffy and I both made eye contact.

"We need one for the ship!" we both exclaimed excitedly.

"If we put it on a bottom that allows it to freely move, we can tell where the wind is going!" I continued my thought. Luffy nodded excitedly as we both continued to ponder the idea, estimating how many we would need to decorate the ship, as we walked to the edge of the road between a couple houses. Luffy leaned against a palm tree as I layed on the grass beside him.

"A pinwheel, huh." Luffy muttered aloud. I cracked open an eye and looked over at him. "I just thought of a new move." He had a goofy grin on his face as he looked up. I immediately sat up and turned to him.

"Lucky! I haven't been able to come up with any new moves in almost a year!" I whined.

"Doctor! Doctor" Luffy and I both turned and looked at the commotion in the middle of the road.

"What is it?" A man came running down the road. He had on what looked like a lab coat. He ran up to the group of people gathering not to far in front of us.

"Nojiko's been shot." the first voice replied. Nojiko was shot!

"By who?" the second questioned.

"The Marines." That's when I noticed Nami kneeling in the middle of the group with two other people. One must have been the doctor and the other looked to be the sheriff from earlier. I saw someone laying in between the three of them.

"Nojiko was shot by the Marines?" I mumbled under my breath. The group around them began mumbling and their words were unfocused. I looked over to Luffy to see him smiling. He quickly jumped up and ran over to the group, ending up right behind Nami.

"Hey! Nami!" he smiled and waved. I jumped up and ran towards him, stopping just beside him and looking over at Nami. Nojiko lay on the ground at her feet. "What's up? Need help with anything?" He had a huge happy smile plastered across his face.

Nami instantly turned and glared at the two of us. I stood my ground and met her menacing gaze.

"Why are you still here?" Luffy's smile became a frown and he looked rather frightened as Nami stepped forward and grabbed the front of his shirt. She yanked him forward and directly to her face. "STAY OUT OF MY BUSINESS! GET AWAY FROM OUR ISLAND!" she yelled. I quickly stepped out of the way as she threw Luffy behind her and took off running. I felt the need to go after her, but looked back at Luffy and Nojiko.

Luffy walked back across the road to the tree after getting up and I bent down beside the doctor and the sheriff to help see to Nojiko.

"Shot in the shoulder correct?" I asked the doctor as he looked to me confused.

"Yes." he replied.

"How far was the shooter from her, and what supplies do you have?" I questioned.

"He was originally aiming at Nami, and Nojiko got in the way. He was only several feet away." the sheriff with the pinwheel answered.

"It's an easy task so everything can be done here. What's your name?" the doctor asked as I was about to get up and walk away.

"I'm Takara. Good friend of Nojiko and Nami. I wanted to help here, but it seems you have everything under control." I smiled before getting up and walking over to Luffy.

"What's her problem?" he pouted as I took a seat beside him.

"You didn't leave when she told you too." I replied.

* * *

Luffy and I had been sitting around for nearly an hour after the Nami incident. That's when the entire town began crowding the streets. They all held weapons and I even saw Nojiko and the doctor getting involved. The sheriff seemed to be the one in charge of it all. We paid it no mind until Nami came back.

"EVERYBODY WAIT!" Nami walked into town with a huge smile on her face, but it seemed fake. "Calm down." she was also chuckling breathlessly as she walked up to everyone. "It's not that much money." You could tell that she had run all the way here. "I can get it back in no time." she kept insisting, trying to convince everyone. "I'll take care of it don't worry. It'll be easy this time! I'm used to it. I'll be fine. Just relax. Everything's okay." You could hear the lies piling up, one after another compared to when she was lying to me. "Hey, it's nothing compared to back then. Come on everyone. I'm perfectly fine." I watched as the sheriff stepped forward and gave Nami a hug. She looked surprised.

"You've done enough. You have to know that there is no point now." I could hear the sheriff whispering to Nami. "You struggled so hard. Carrying our lives on your back this whole time. I can only imagine that joining them must have been more painful than being stabbed through the heart. You fought very well." I looked over at Luffy to find that he had dozed off. I stretched out my arm and swung it behind me, instead of hitting the tree it hit him square in the chest. He coughed and lurched forward.

"Don't doze off you Rubber Head." I quietly shouted. He quickly looked up at me, still holding his chest.

"Bone Head." he grunted.

"Idiot." I muttered.

"Klutz." Our eyes met and we smiled for a moment before looking back at the event before us.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" the sheriff yelled at Nami, who was holding a knife at the crowd. She froze as the sheriff turned and lifted his sword up. "Move out!" Nami looked like she had been crying as she watched, stunned.

"We may not win, but we will give em hell" the doctor continued. The crowd cheered as it began moving down the road towards Arlong Park.

Nami collapsed to her knees, the knife dropping to the ground beside her. The entire crowd had just run past her to, what may be, their demise. Luffy stood up and I quickly did the same. I followed him as he walked towards Nami. I stopped several feet before he reached her and watched as she scratched at the Arlong tattoo on her shoulder.

"ARLONG!" she screamed. Suddenly she grabbed the knife and began stabbing the tattoo over and over. She screamed 'Arlong' each time she stabbed the tattoo, which had become a rather bloody wound. After about 8 stabs Luffy had come up behind her and grabbed the arm with the knife, stopping it in the air above her head. Nami continued to cry as she looked back at us.

"Luffy." her voice was quiet and gentle, compared to how she had spoken to him earlier. The world was quiet as they stared at each other. Her hand released and the knife dropped. Luffy then let go and stood over Nami. "What do you want?" Nami questioned Luffy. "You don't know anything about this. You don't know what's been happening on this island for the last 8 years."

"Nope, I don't." Luffy answered

"This has nothing to do with you. I told you to leave this place."

"Yup, you sure did."

"So leave." Nami ordered as she threw sand back at him with the arm that hadn't gotten stabbed. "I told you to leave! Get outta here!" She continued to throw sand back. "Get outta here now! Go! Go away! GO! Go! Go." Nami stopped throwing the sand and started crying as she looked at the ground. After a moment she reached a hand up to muffle her crying. We waited until she lifted her head up. "Luffy… help me." she looked back at Luffy with tears going down her cheeks. I watched as Luffy took his hat off and placed it on Nami's head. I stood there stunned for a moment. He almost never gave away his hat to people. I was an exception since the owner of the hat was my father. Nami looked surprised too! Then again Luffy never gave up on his friends, especially after they asked for help.

"Of course." Luffy walked past Nami and down the road. "That's what friends do." Luffy took a deep breath, and crouched down. He quickly stood up and threw his hands above him. "HE'S GONNA PAAAAAY!" Luffy screamed.

I quietly walked up and kneeled next to Nami. I wrapped an arm around her shoulder, placing my hand just above the wound.

"Through thick and thin, nothing will keep us apart… right sis?" Nami quickly spun around and hugged me, her arms going around my neck. I gently squeezed back as she sobbed into my shoulder. "I knew you were lying the entire time. Although it hurt, I still trust you." I whispered. I quickly and gently pried her off and stood up. She continued to sob as I then ran after Luffy, who had started walking down the street towards Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp who had shown up at some point. I quickly caught up and walked beside Luffy.

"Let's go." Luffy ordered.

"Right." Zoro, Sanji, Usopp and I answered. We all started walking towards Arlong Park. I could see the town standing just outside the gate leading in. Just past them in front of the gate was Johnny and Yosaku! We walked in a line together. Zoro, stood beside Luffy, than Sanji, next Usopp, and finally me. We walked silently, all with a single goal in mind. We were gonna help Nami. Then I came up with an idea.

"Luffy, I have a new move and it involves you Usopp. So I'm going in first," I commented. I elbowed Usopp and had him take out his slingshot. He aimed it straight above our destination. I turned my bones to light density and jumped up. I created a small ball attached to a spike, leading up to my left heel. Usopp quickly grabbed it, set it in his slingshot and in a moment he had launched it off. I went flying high up into the air as the crowd below split for everyone else to walk through. As I soared above the Arlong Park I could see dozens of fishmen all waiting around. I could barely see the toes of Arlong's webbed feet. In three hits I watched as Luffy broke down the concrete gate and looked in at Arlong. I took a deep breath and curled into a ball, wrapping my arms around my knees. Using the bone I made the ball spike out of I stretched it out and around me once I was in the perfect spot. I changed my bones to high density and felt myself drop straight down. I felt myself crash through a roof or two and land directly into the concrete. I quickly released the bone back into my bare feet and looked around. I sat in the center of a deep crater, or it was more of a hole, directly behind Arlong's chair. Luffy sat over by the gate, directly to my left. I quickly jumped out of my hole and stood waiting for Luffy's orders.

"Now which one of you is Arlong?" he questioned, clenching his fist.

* * *

**Sorry it took so long.**

**Please review!**

**I hope to be updating more frequently now.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	22. First Round to Arlong

"Now which one of you is Arlong?" Luffy questioned, clenching his fist. I followed Luffy's gaze out to all the fishmen in the area. A good 10 to 20 stood there watching Luffy, some looking over to me and the hole I had made in both the roof and the ground.

"Arlong?" Arlong growled. I turned to see Luffy begin walking towards Along and I. I shuffled a bit, but tried my best to keep quiet. "Well that just happens to be my name." Arlong continued.

"Good, you can call me Luffy." Luffy retorted as he continued to walk towards the, now named, fishman.

"Luffy? What are you supposed to be?" Their conversation just seemed to be them going back and forth using menacing tones as they asked and answered each other's questions.

"A pirate." I quickly turned to see the three men from earlier, the ones from the middle of the road. The one that looked like an octopus had gasped.

"Hey! That guy! Wait a sec! I remember him! He's the guy that likes going on walks!" I looked over and my eyes met with his. He had been pointing at Luffy, but quickly moved his hand to point at me. "She was with him too!" he exclaimed.

"Hold it right there."

"Hahaha! Where do you think you're going?"

"You wanna talk to the boss, well you gotta talk to us first. Got it?" The fishmen that had been standing around were now yelling threats at Luffy as he steadily got closer to Arlong. Suddenly I felt something wet grab my hand. I turned to see one of the more muscled fishmen holding my wrist. He wore a creepy smile and winked at me.

"You're that girl Nami caught, right? We were hoping you'd come back," the fishman snickered. A cold shiver went up my spine.

"Not on your life!" I screamed. I quickly grabbed the hand he had on mine. I changed my bone density so that I would be heavier than him and quickly threw him over my shoulder and into my small crator. I started walking away when my foot caught on a lip of the concrete and I tripped. I quickly rolled over just as Arlong was sent flying off his seat, directly over me, and into a wall.

I let out a low growl as I hopped up and turned to Luffy. He still stood in a ready position. Two fishmen sat on the ground behind him, and the others stood in awe at us…. or at least Luffy. I looked back towards Arlong. He sat in the rubble of the wall, the dust still clearing. He let out a groan as he looked up at Luffy.

"Who the hell are you?" Arlong grunted. Luffy meanwhile let out a breath of hot air through his nose, looking like an angry cow.

"That's for making our navigator cry!" Luffy replied. I watched as more fishmen began jumping out of the water towards Luffy. I jumped over the seat and crossed my arms, ready to summon up a pair of shields from my arms. That's when Sanji jumped in and quickly kicked away the progressing fishmen.

"Back off! You're out of your league!," he yelled. I quickly dropped my guard and looked over to Arlong, like Luffy. "Jeez. You just had to run on ahead by yourself." Sanji continued.

"Get used to it." I commented.

"Don't worry. I can handle these bozos on my own." Luffy seemed to growl, still looking towards Arlong.

"Agh! You fool. I never said anything about being worried." Sanji retorted, glaring past me towards Luffy. He then turned to look at Arlong who hadn't moved at all. "I just don't want you hogging all the action."

"Oh." Luffy replied.

"Jealous much?" I questioned, crossing my arms and looking up at him. He looked down at me and smiled.

"Good to see you're alright." he had a chuckle in his voice as he stated this. Enraged I turned and kicked his shin. I watched as a pained shiver passed through him, yet he still managed to keep his composure. Our attention was quickly drawn to Usopp as he walked up to us.

"Well, I just wanna let you guys know that I don't mind if you hog it all." I could see the sweat streaming down his face. Zoro began walking up beside him after he came to a stop.

"I see you're raring to go as usual." Zoro responded. There was a loud gasp before someone made a noise that sounded like a scream.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUU!" I turned to see the octopus man pointing at us again. "It's him. That's the unknown swordsmen I was telling you about." So he had already met Zoro, interesting.

"Roronoa Zoro." The fishman who had what looked like fins coming out his arms added. He stood just to the side of the octopus man.

"I thought so. That bastard tricked me. I can't believe it. I fell for it looks, sine, and hinker…. Wait, hook, line, and sink...er." the octopus man seemed to have confused himself.

"Hey look, long nose is here." one of the fishmen Sanji had stopped pointed out as he sat up. A couple more began to sit up and look towards us too.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! But…. he's dead! We saw Nami kill him!" the octopus man yelled. He was getting rather annoying with his screaming.

"Oh, he's alive. Which means…" a fishman with huge lips began. He stood behind the octopus man and the man with the fins on his arms. It took me a moment to realize it, but they had been the fishmen from yesterday.

"Huh, that Nami was a traitor all along. Just as I suspected." the fin armed fishman finished his sentence. We all awaited something, anything, to happen so we all stood in complete silence.

"Hehehehe…. A pirate. Of course." Arlong laughed. "This is all starting to make sense now. You've been after Nami this whole time, but WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA THE GIRL IS MINE AND I'M NOT GIVING HER UP!" Arlong yelled to us. "You might as well join me while you still can…. Taka" Arlong continued. His eyes were locked on me as a devilish smile played at his lips. He knew that it had been me yesterday, but how! I had been in disguise and he wasn't there either…. My knee!

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! A bunch of idiots like you aren't worth Arlong's time! We know how to deal with you!" I kept my eyes locked on Arlong's as he stared at me. A hand grabbed my shoulder and I flinched before registering that someone had been speaking with me.

"You alright Takara?" I turned and looked up at Zoro.

"Yeah, just worried about Nami is all." I lied before looking out to the bay area where all eyes were aimed. I couldn't stop myself from wondering if, and how, he had managed to make it so that I was the only one to catch what he said there at the end about me.

I watched as the octopus man used his mouth as a trumpet, calling something. The villagers at the gate began mumbling to themselves. What had he called? Then the ground began to shake and a rumbling sound could be heard.

"GAAHH! What is going on here guys?!" Usopp questioned, freaking out. I glanced over at Arlong for a moment. He was no longer smiling, but he kept his gaze on us. When I looked back out, the water had become violent and a huge wave seemed to be coming right towards us.

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" the octopus man began laughing maniacally. "Every single one of you is about to become fish food!" he managed to yell over the rumbling. "Mohmoo rise!" the water swirled into a whirlpool before rising straight up in front of the octopus man.

"IT"S A MONSTER!" Usopp screamed, still freaking out. "That's the beast from the Grand Line that destroyed the town of Gosa!" We all waited as the water continued to fall, slowly revealing the 'MONSTER'.

When we were finally able to see it, I was quite surprised. It looked a lot like a cow, but with scales and a body like a fish. It had a gold ring through its nose and a large bump on the top of its head between two horns. Tears brimmed at the edge of its eyes.

"AWWW! It looks like a little injured puppy!" I squealed. It seemed harmless, and was like an adorable plush toy!

"WWWWWWAAAARRRRRRUUUUUU!" it almost whimpered.

"SOOO CUTE!" I squealed once more as Usopp let a scream of his own out, his being terrified. The villagers had also begun to panic. Mohmoo had begun to lean in towards us, but stopped short.

"Well look who's back." Luffy commented.

"Seems he's a friend of the fishmen." Sanji joined in.

"WHAT DID YOU TWO DO TO THAT POOR CREATURE!?" I shouted, quickly hitting both on the head.

"It found us out in the ocean when we were cooking meat. It then lead us here." Sanji replied, holding his head.

"YOU BEAT IT UP FOR HELPING YOU!?" I scowled up at the blonde.

"Not exactly." Luffy joined in. I quickly spun around and punched him square in the throat. I turned back to Sanji and quickly did the same.

"We'll be fighting soon so I don't want to hurt you too bad so you can deal with an injured throat during battle. Also…. DUMBASSES!" I yelled to the two as they coughed and held their throats. I looked up to the poor creature who was whimpering and had tears streaming down it's face. I watched as it turned and began leaving the bay area within Arlong Park.

"Hey! Stop! Where are you going?! Get back here Mohmoo!" The octopus man yelled at Mohmoo."You can't just leave! MOHMOO!"

"Leaving? Now, now, isn't that a shame." Arlong began. Mohmoo came to a stop. "But, I suppose if you really want to run away then who am I to stop you…. Well then?" That's when I heard it. Normally you can't, but just now you could hear the tick going off in his head. The one telling him fight is better than flight. Mohmoo began growling. It suddenly turned, a very menacing look on its face as it swam back towards us. Was it bad that I still found him incredibly adorable?

"It's coming right for us!" Usopp screamed.

"Luffy, plan?" I asked as Mohmoo got closer.

"Pinwheel." he replied. I looked back at him, confused. Then it clicked. "You're all mine, you dumb cow!" Luffy announced.

"Looks like he's got a plan, for once." Sanji commented.

"We'll see. I have a bad feeling about this." Zoro joined in. Fishmen came running towards Luffy as he began twisting his upper half.

"Zoro, Usopp, Sanji! Get to the edge of the water and duck down!" I yelled. They all gave me a confused look. I looked back to Luffy. He had grabbed on to the horns of Mohmoo. "You idiots!" I yelled. I quickly ran towards Luffy, sliding the last bit so I was just behind his legs. Since I was the only one who understood what I was trying to get through to them I chose the safest place possible. You could call it the "eye of the storm" kinda scenario. From there I laid flat on the ground as he began spinning Mohmoo, yelling something along the lines of 'Gum Gum Pinwheel'. I closed my eyes as poor Mohmoo got bashed into both fishmen and people.

When he finally released Mohmoo, I opened my eyes just in time to see Mohmoo plunge into the water. I then looked at Luffy's legs, planted into the ground…

"That's it Arlong I'm done playing games with you! I didn't come here to beat down all your cronies!" Luffy announced, panting, and using his knees for support. "I came here to teach you a lesson! Step up!" he ordered, pointing to the accused fishmen.

"Luffy…. you have a problem…." How was he supposed to fight Arlong if his feet were trapped in the ground?

"Not now." he growled, keeping his eyes on Arlong.

"Oh, I will don't worry. Actually I was thinking about how painfully I'll end your life." Arlong retorted. His eyes met mine and as Luffy was criticized by our crew mates I saw him mouth two words to me. 'Last chance'. He began to snicker at me as I glared back at him. I then refocused on Luffy's legs.

"Uh oh!" Luffy exclaimed as I pulled up on his left leg. I quickly got into a better position with my knees crossed below me, and my legs wrapped around Luffy's one leg. I began pulling straight up from his ankle. He just seemed to stretch.

"You're just now noticing?" I questioned as I picked at the rock around his ankle. He sheepishly replied with a 'Yeah'. That's when he began trying to pull his legs out on his own, the rocks I was picking at getting moved repeatedly, and shifted into worse positions.

"Dammit Luffy! Stop moving." I growled, punching the back of his knee. He stopped moving and I continued to pick at the rock.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING!? ARE YOU RUINING SOMETHING ELSE!?" Usopp yelled at us. I stopped and looked up at him as if it weren't obvious.

"Huh, no luck?" he asked as he looked down towards me.

"Nada, it won't even come up at all." I shrugged. "What if we tried cutting them out?" I wondered aloud.

"Worth a shot." he replied. I quickly moved so that I had more space and began trying to measure out Luffy's foot so that I wouldn't cut any of it.

"How dare you hurt our brother." I heard the octopus man complain. Usopp took a couple of steps back from us.

"Very well. It seems that we must now join in the fight." the fin armed man added.

"Now you'll get an education in the inferiority of your species. Chu." the fishman with huge lips commented.

"Oh, really. I'd like to see that." Zoro replied.

"Luffy, what size foot do you have?" I questioned. I looked up to see him shrug. "Well, then if I'm a six and your shoes are three inches big on me compared to the heel then…." I quickly measure the length and stopped at what looked correct. "Right here!" I made my finger into a blade and shot it straight down into the ground at what I thought was a good point. Luffy had no reaction as I pulled my blade out. I looked down into the hole to see nothing but rock. "I missed…." I mumbled to myself.

"PLEASE, JUST LET US KILL THESE WEAKLINGS!" the octopus man yelled.

"Alright, they're yours." Arlong replied. I quickly moved to trying to find his heel.

"Uh… guys? There's something I should tell you" Luffy tried getting Zoro and Sanji's attention.

"Luffy, stop trying to be polite about it." I advised as I tried to decide how much of a lip there was on a heel.

"What the hell's that octopus doing?" Zoro questioned.

"Well, it's an octopus. What do you think it's doing?" I answered, getting closer to Luffy's leg to try and see his heel, or at least foot.

"Let's try here." I shot another blade into the ground. I lifted it out to see…more rock.

"So… uh listen to me guys, I'm kind of in trouble." Luffy tried to get an answer out of them again.

"Luffy I can't find your Goddamn foot!" I yelled standing straight up. I watched as Zoro and Sanji jumped out of the way, but before I could do anything I was attacked by a black liquid or ink.

"You idiots, how come you didn't dodge that!" Zoro yelled at us. I sat there covered with black stuff and seething with anger. My hair looked black and hung down in front of my eyes. My clothes were soaked, and my skin looked stained.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I CAN'T SEE SQUAT!" Luffy screamed.

"Dammit Luffy! Why are you always dragging me into these things?" I growled as I wiped the ink from my eyes. "ALSO! IF ANY OF YOU HAD EVEN BOTHERED TO LISTEN TO YOUR CAPTAIN WE ALL COULD HAVE AVOIDED THIS AND NOT JUST YOU THREE DUMBASSES!" I yelled, glaring at Zoro. I stepped forward towards Zoro when my foot slipped on the ink on the ground. I let out a scream as I tried to grab onto Luffy, but slipped even more when I noticed that he was also covered. Every attempt to get up led to me slipping on the ink on some part of my body.

"Come on! Get out of there! RUN!" Usopp yelled at us.

"Yeah, that's the problem. I can't run. Can't even walk." Luffy replied.

"If you hadn't noticed by now. His feet are stuck in the ground!" I yelled as I sat up for a third time, but was pulled back by my shirt getting caught in one of the cracks leading to Luffy's legs.

"But he's the one that stuck them into the ground in the first place!" Usopp yelled back. By the time I looked up a giant concrete wall was coming down on us. When it finally came down on us I was surprised to see Sanji standing above us, his leg up kicking against the wall. In seconds it had cracked and the wall pieces fell to the side of us.

"We are such a pain." Sanji mumbled towards us.

"Sanji that was so totally awesomely awesome." Luffy cheered.

"Looks like I ended up picking one hell of an idiot to be my captain.

"We all did." I heard Zoro quietly add.

"And he'll drag us all to hell with him!" I pointed out as I sat up on my elbows.

"Luffy's great! Hey!" Usopp tried to protect Luffy.

"But the truth is that our idiot captain is far better than a gang who'd pray on a lady." Sanji finished.

"A lady huh? Hm! You rushed into certain death for a lousy girl? I think that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." the fin armed guy retorted.

"TAKE THAT BACK!" I yelled, jumping up. The sleeve of my shirt ripped off, exposing my left shoulder. I jumped towards the man, but Luffy quickly grabbed my shoulders and yanked me back. I fell to the ground where his feet were stuck.

"Sanji's got this." Luffy stated. I growled as I watched the fin armed man.

"Lousy girl? If you insult Nami one more time I can promise that you'll go from fishman to fish sticks. Got that?" Sanji threatened.

"Your skills are quite exceptional for a human, but I must admit that chivalry from a pirate seems just a little fake." the fin armed man replied.

"I'm damn good at what I do, and I guarantee that there's nothing fake about my desire to help a beautiful lady in need." Sanji stated, letting out a puff of smoke.

"Looks like I'll be acquainting you with the true superiority of the fishman species!" the fin armed guy told Sanji.

"Yeah?" Sanji challenged. I looked at my bare shoulder then to the fragment caught in the cracks by Luffy's feet. I moved closer to his foot and tried to start working again.

"Luffy we need to get you out of there if you're gonna fight Arlong." I commented turning around and looking at his legs again. That's when I noticed Usopp pulling Luffy away from where his legs were stuck. "Usopp, you're gonna hurt someone." I commented as I pulled the shoulder of my shirt out of one of the cracks.

"Nice work. They're still stuck." Luffy told Usopp.

"Still! They're still stuck!" Usopp seemed to be shocked by the idea that nothing had changed. I watched in silence as Luffy's legs continued to stretch. I looked towards Usopp and Luffy's upper half.

"Maybe no one told you that the penalty for playing around in Arlong park is death!"

"I give it say…. 50 more steps." I commented. The octopus man beside me picked up a part of the wall and held it above my head as I watched Usopp run. "5….. 10…. 15….. 20….. 25….. 30." As I continued to watch Usopp, Zoro confronted the octopus man and they migrated away from me. "40….. 45….. 50…." Usopp stopped moving and watched Zoro. In that instant he let go of Luffy and I quickly hopped out of the way as Luffy went shooting past and hit the huge lip man. He then settled back in front of me.

"Hey I'm back." Luffy stated.

"Have a nice trip?" I asked.

"I didn't go that far." he replied.

"That was sarcasm Luffy." I groaned.

"I know." he told me as I watched the huge lip man run past. I watched as Usopp vanished past the people at the gate.

"You think he's gonna get killed by that guy?" I questioned.

"Nah, he's pretty strong." Luffy answered.

"Any chance we gonna get your feet free anytime soon?"

"Nope."

"You gonna even try?"

"Nope."

"Good job."

"You morons are a pathetic sight to behold and I'm sick of watching this, now get outta my way." Arlong had stood up and was now walking toward us. I quickly jumped up and stood beside Luffy, watching.

"But sir! There's no reason to go on a rampage. Think of Arlong park." the fin armed guy retorted.

"Don't worry, I won't. I just thought of a fun game, that's all." Arlong's tone was chipper and almost happy. I clenched my fists together as Arlong walked closer.

"Game huh?" the octopus man wondered.

"Luffy, I have a bad feeling about this." I mumbled.

"Now you're going down!" Luffy yelled. I watched as he got ready to throw a punch. In that instant I noticed a glint in Arlong's eyes.

"Luffy! NO!" I shouted, trying to catch his fist. I was late as Luffy's arm flew past Arlong's face and he got it.

"Did you honestly think your sad little group can beat us?" Arlong smiled.

"So what if we do?" Sanji questioned.

"Yeah so what if we do, huh? Now let go!" Luffy questioned too, freaking out.

"You got something to say to us?" Zoro asked.

"Here's my answer!" I yelled. I jumped up and over Luffy's arm landing beside Arlong. I quickly bit down on the area near his wrist.

"You think those weak teeth of yours could ever hurt my skin?" Arlong laughed. I looked directly up at him before changing my teeth. He let out a deep scream as I quickly latched onto his arm and he released Luffy's. I could taste blood as he threw his arm up trying to get me off.

"That's it!" he yelled after thrashing around for a bit. I bit harder when suddenly everything stopped. He stopped moving and in seconds I felt a sharp pain slide across my neck and clamp down on my left shoulder.

"Takara!" I heard several people yell. I felt blood pour down my shoulder. Out of complete reflex my teeth became normal and my jaw loosened. I was suddenly torn off his arm and in seconds the thing on my shoulder released and I was thrown at the fin armed man.

"You bit her?" The man now holding me asked. My mind had gone numb and I finally noticed Arlong with a stream of blood coming off his chin.

"She needs to be taught a lesson. Toss her in. We'll retrieve her in a bit after we've taken care of the others. She has no choice in whether she can be in my crew." Arlong responded.

I was suddenly thrown through the air. I then noticed the water directly below me. My mind came back and I looked back at the crowd. Arlong had picked up Luffy by pulling up the rock his feet were stuck to, and looked like he was about to throw it. Zoro and Sanji watched Luffy and I as Luffy was released and I finally hit the water. That's when it took effect.

I felt the water creep through my skin to my bones. The water creeped through my system infecting all my bones, changing them back to when I was younger. My body sank slowly, but surely, with each inch closer to the seafloor a bone would break from the growing pressure. My body hit the seafloor and the rest of my air was sent up in bubbles. The pain from my bones and from my shoulder took over and the world went black.

* * *

**Hey!**

**Again, long time no see! Not as long as last time though.**

**Hope this was a good chapter. Seemed kinda bland in the middle as everyone took on their opponent.**

**Next chapter should be good!**

**I'm gonna start doing Author's Notes at the end just to get on with the story.**

**School ending in less than a month so updates will be coming sooner hopefully.**

**Thanks for keeping up with my randomness in updates!**

**Love you all!**

**Keep up the reviews!**


End file.
